Handle With Care
by JulieSnape02
Summary: Despite Severus' treatment of Harry in his first Potions class, and subsequent meetings and classes, Harry is determined to be kind to his Potions professor. How will this change their relationship? AU, OOC, eventual Severus-adopts-Harry story, Dumbledore bashing, and a number of unexpected twists and turns along the way! Please R&R and enjoy! :D Rating may go up in later chapters.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, I do not own Severus Snape. Nor do I own Harry or any of the others, but I'm okay with admitting that.

A/N: To anyone also reading "Uncle Severus," I apologize for the huge delay in getting the next chapter up. I am still working on it, but there is some important information I needed to convey in the first part of the chapter and I am having a hard time rewriting it. I am hoping to get the file soon, but it is proving difficult.

The idea for this story came to me randomly. I hope you enjoy it! Any recognizable phrases are not mine.

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**Prologue**

Harry looked around at his fellow Gryffindors. They all looked as nervous as he felt. The Slytherins, however, all had blank expressions on their faces, just as he did. Although he had not been sorted into Slytherin, the Dursleys had ensured that he had their survival skills—including hiding one's emotions.

Hagrid had told him that both his parents had been in Gryffindor, so he had requested for the hat to place him in Gryffindor. The hat, understanding his reasoning, had done so, but not before attempting to convince him that it would better for him to be in Slytherin. Harry had stood firm, however—it was expected that he would be in Gryffindor, and he could not yet afford to go against those expectations. He would have to work from within the house of Lions to find those who would be his allies.

Despite his experiences, Harry had his mother's personality. He forgave most offenses easily, sought to understand others and see the good in them, and loved completely and unconditionally. His experiences had taught him to be cautious, to keep his true emotions hidden, and many other things that would aid him in surviving. All in all, he was a Slytherin with the heart of a Lion, but because he could not afford to stir up trouble quite yet, he was stuck in the Lions' den...

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a loud _BANG!_, the sound of the door being thrown against the wall. He watched as the professor stalked to the front of the room, his robes flapping behind him like bat wings, and listened carefully as he made his beginning-of-year speech, taking in and memorizing every word. Fred and George Weasley, two Gryffindors a few years ahead of him, had told him about this particular professor during the welcoming feast, and they way he welcomed new students.

Then the professor began roll call, pausing as he reached Harry's name. "Harry Potter, our new…_celebrity_." Although he spoke with disdain, Harry knew well enough that it was impossible for the professor to know enough about him to hate him. He would just have to show the professor that he wasn't…whatever the man thought about him.

_He probably thinks I'm spoiled,_ Harry thought to himself. _Perhaps he also thinks that because I'm famous in the wizarding world, I expect everything to be handed to me on a silver platter. Well, I'll just have to prove him wrong._

"Tell me," Severus continued, interrupting Harry's thoughts again, "what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Harry took a deep breath. With the Dursleys, it was always better to keep his knowledge to himself and his mouth shut. _But the Dursleys aren't here,_ he reminded himself and then responded, "Asphodel and wormwood create a sleeping potion so powerful, it is known as Draught of Living Death."

A look of surprise flashed briefly in Severus' eyes, but only Harry seemed to have noticed it. Severus had noted the boy's hesitancy and wondered at it, but pushed the thought aside in favor of seeing if he could still humiliate the brat. "Where would you go if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

Harry again hesitated, unsure if he had answered correctly. "A bezoar is found in the stomach of a goat and will save you from most poisons."

Severus frowned. The boy had clearly studied ahead. Well, he would try one last question. "What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

Harry answered promptly, but with the same undertone of nervous anxiety that only Severus noticed, "Monkshood and wolfsbane are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite."

Severus' frown deepened, before he snapped at the rest of the class, "Why aren't you all copying down Mr. Potter's answers?" There was a rustling of paper as students scrambled to write down the answers. Harry ducked his head and smiled to himself, proud that he'd gotten the answers right, as he also wrote them down. He knew that, as he was in Gryffindor, he could not expect more acknowledgement than was given and was actually quite relieved that he had not been scolded for doing well.

Severus watched Harry with a puzzled frown. The smile on the boys' face was a mixture of relief, joy, and pride, but it was not boastful or haughty. He also did not look around at his classmates to boast or to seek their praise for answering the questions correctly. In fact, he currently had his head bent, writing the answers, as if he were trying to hide his smile. The boy was certainly a puzzle, but if the Dark Lord returned, as the headmaster feared he would, he would need to spy again. Therefore, it was imperative that he continue to treat the boy as if he hated him. His view of Harry had been altered, yes, but he still didn't like the boy, so it would not be difficult. He was probably spoiled at home.

Harry, having felt Severus' eyes on him, chose that moment to look up at his professor, as he had just completed writing the answers, and gave his teacher a small, tentative smile, then glanced back down at his notes to check that the ink had dried. The action further served to perplex Severus, so he did what he always did when he was frustrated and couldn't take the time to puzzle something out. He snarled and snapped and was generally unpleasant to anyone in the vicinity.

The students quickly and quietly got to work on their potions. Because Neville was sitting beside Harry, he avoided causing any accidents and making any mistakes with his potion, as Harry whispered quiet encouragement and corrections to him. Severus, who's ears picked up even the quietest noise (a skilled learned from his spying days), was impressed by the gentle manner in which Harry spoke to his classmate. The boy's tone was not condescending or haughty, merely encouraging and instructional.

Ten minutes before the bell rang to indicate the end of class, Severus instructed the students to bottle their potions, label them, and then place them on his desk. As the other students scrambled to leave the classroom when the bell rang, Harry packed up at a normal pace as he quietly spoke to Neville. It was apparent that they would be good friends.

Severus watched them closely as they left the room, glad that he had only to endure dinner in the Great Hall and then his time would be his own. He sat down to grade seventh-year essays to take his mind off the puzzling boy who seemed to be so much like his mother, even though he looked so much like his father.

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A/N: So, what'd you think so far? Also, I'm not a fan of the title, so if you think of a better one, please let me know! Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you thought!

Next chapter, we explore what Harry's life has been like with the Dursleys.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Here's the next chapter! I honestly didn't expect to get it up so quickly, but your reviews encouraged me to write it faster. New title is courtesy of **Vandr**. Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it!

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**Chapter 1**

Harry sat on his bed in the dorm, homework done. He had quickly discovered that Neville was brilliant in Herbology, Transfiguration, and Charms, whereas Harry was gifted in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Charms. Neville was still above average in Potions and DADA and Harry in Transfiguration and Herbology, but they were gifted in the other classes. They helped each other with their homework while Ron Weasley, who he had met on the train and was the twins' younger brother, sulked and tried to get them to play Exploding Snap.

"Knut for your thoughts?" Neville asked.

Harry gave him a wry smile. "Just thinking about...home," he replied.

Neville nodded in understanding. "I'm here if you ever need someone to talk to."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Harry gave Neville a grateful smile at his perception and offer. "Same here, too, you know. If you ever need someone to talk to," he added. Neville smiled back at Harry in gratitude and nodded, then left Harry to his thoughts.

Harry's mind drifted to the time he first went to school. He had been five and had been in a different class from Dudley's, as the school had been insistent that family members not be in the same class. It had been the same in later years, as well. His classmates and the teacher had all been kind to him, even when he did accidental magic. They'd thought it was cool and at least a few of the students knew someone else who made weird things happen, too.

Harry had learned in that year that the Dursleys' treatment of him was wrong. Outside of the classroom, his classmates ignored him, but he knew it was both for their protection and his. If Dudley found out that he had friends, he would beat all of them up. They knew, the teacher included, that the Dursleys did not like Harry, but they did not know how far that dislike extended. The teacher always allowed him to complete whatever homework he could before he went home, knowing that he likely wouldn't be allowed much, if any, time to work on it once he got home.

Harry smiled as he remembered what his teacher had told him. _"You have a brilliant mind, Harry. I know that your family doesn't care about how you do in school, but I and your classmates do. Don't let the Dursleys keep you from doing your best. We're all proud of you."_

In later years, his teachers had done their best to encourage him-and his classmates, too, when they could do so without it getting back to Dudley through one of his friends. He had grown rather close to his kindergarten teacher over the years, but he'd still never told her about the abuse. So he had studied hard and had reminded himself constantly that there really were people out there who cared about him. In fact, he'd seen his old kindergarten teacher just before he left and she'd asked him if he was starting Hogwarts this year.

_"Yes, ma'am. I got my letter just the other week, and someone from the school took me to get my things. My parents left me a lot of money and paid the tuition for all seven years in advance," Harry had replied._

_The woman had smiled kindly. "Good. Now, remember to do your best. You won't need to hide how intelligent you really are while you're there. If you need to write anyone while you're gone, you can always send through me. My family still writes to me and they always send things by owl, so my husband is used to it. He is also a squib. No slacking while you are there. You will let me know how things go, yes?" she had asked him._

_Harry had nodded in confirmation. "Thanks, Mrs. Prince-for everything. I'll do my best at Hogwarts." They had hugged before going their separate ways._

Harry shuddered as he recalled his daily routine at the Dursleys': get up at 5, make breakfast for the Dursleys, eat his own breakfast of toast and tea (if he was lucky), do the inside chores, eat lunch (if he was lucky), do the outside chores, clean up with the hose outside, make dinner for the Dursleys, and then wait for whatever punishment his uncle chose to give him for existing. During the school year, he had to work even faster to get the inside chores done before going to school. After school, he hurried through the outside chores and then made dinner for the Dursleys. His uncle generally eased up on the beatings so that no one would get suspicious. His uncle hade given him a "going away gift," as he'd called it, the night before he left, engraving the word "FREAK" on his arm. But it didn't bother him, because he knew it wasn't true.

Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts and then took out a piece of parchment to begin a letter to Mrs. Prince before going to bed.

* * *

After dinner, Severus paced back and forth in his living room, trying to figure Harry out. Draco would want to help make potions tomorrow, he knew, so he had tonight to try and puzzle out the brat-who-lived-to-annoy-him. _Although_, he reminded himself with a sigh, _he is not so much of brat, but he still annoys me! I hate being confused and I hate being wrong!_

Finally, somewhere around midnight, he gave it up as a bad job and went to bed. He would just have to watch the boy closely.

* * *

The next morning, Harry got up early, as he always did from force of habit, and finished his letter to Mrs. Prince.

_Dear Mrs. Prince,_

_Everything seems to be going well so far. I'm in Gryffindor, although the sorting hat tried to convince me to go into Slytherin, because I don't think it's yet time to go against the expectations it seems these people have for me. Can you imagine if I'd been sorted into Slytherin? They would all think I'm the next dark lord!_

_There are some twins in Gryffindor who seem really friendly. Their names are Fred and George Weasley, and they told me all about the teachers. There is a boy in my year, Neville Longbottom, who is turning out to be a good friend. He and I have been doing our homework together, even though the Weasley twins' younger brother Ron, who is also a first year, has been pestering us to play Exploding Snap with him._

_Neville seems to lack confidence. From what I've heard, his parents were tortured by You-Know-Who's followers. Death Eaters, I think they were called. Anyway, Neville's parents were tortured to the point that they are little more than living corpses. They do not react to anything, do not talk, they do little more than breathe. I imagine this must be what someone who's had the dementor's kiss would look like._

_Do you suppose his parents' deaths could have had an effect on his confidence? There also seems to be a bit more about his home life than he is willing to share right now. Not that I can blame him for not wanting to share it—such is a sentiment I understand and share. He is very perceptive and knows when he should not push for answers from me, too. I really like him—he also seems very loyal and as if he keeps secrets well._

_There is a teacher here who seems not to like me very much, although I do not know why. __It seems that he doesn't like most of the students, but when he did roll call, there was a particular disdain in his tone when he came to my name and he picked me out of everyone to answer three questions about potions. He didn't ask any of the others anything, and he did seem to be rather surprised when I answered the questions correctly. Perhaps that was because most people wouldn't remember the details he asked about. He kept his face a mask, but I could see the surprise in his eyes. __Yet there seems to me to be more to him than meets the eye, so I am determined to be kind to him, no matter what._

_Did I ever thank you for teaching me not to take all of peoples' words and actions at face value? If I failed to do so, then I thank you now, most earnestly._

_Well, I must get this off. The others will be up soon to begin getting ready for the day. Please say hello to everyone for me._

_With love,_  
_Harry_

After signing and sealing his letter, Harry went up to the owlry to send it off with Hedwig, the owl that Hagrid had given him for his birthday. Hagrid was the one who had given him his Hogwarts letter and had taken him to get his things for school.

As he was up in the owlry, he ran into Draco Malfoy. "Potter," Draco drawled lazily. "A pity you were sorted into Gryffindor. You would have done so well in Slytherin, you know—you have a number of characteristics that Slytherins prize very highly, although I know that you do not believe in blood purity. How are things going in the Lion's den?" he added with a sneer.

It was then that Harry noticed it—a flash of tiredness when he mentioned blood purity, as if he himself did not really believe in it, either. "Malfoy," Harry replied with unfailing politeness. "Things are going well enough for me in Gryffindor, thank you for asking. How has your first week of classes been?"

Surprise flashed across Draco's face for a brief moment, before he put his mask firmly back in place. "Not that it is any of your business, Potter," Draco snarled, "but my first week has gone splendidly. Now, if you don't mind, I have a letter to send."

Harry nodded politely, said goodbye, and then made his way back down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room to meet up with Neville before going to breakfast. As he entered, he spotted Neville looking a bit nervous as he waited by the fireplace.

"Hi, Neville!" Harry greeted. "I had to send a letter off, so I went up to the owlry. I didn't realize I had taken so long—I hope you haven't been waiting too long?" Harry added.

Neville looked relieved to see Harry. "No, no, I've only been waiting a few minutes," he reassured Harry.

"Good," Harry replied. "Shall we go to breakfast, then?" Neville nodded, but before they could make it very far, they heard the twins.

"Oi, look Fred, it's ickle firsties!" George pointed to Harry and Neville.

"Hi Harry and Neville," Fred greeted them cheerfully.

"So great to see you," George added.

"Looking so awake and refreshed," Fred finished.

Harry grinned. "Hey, guys! Neville and I were just about to go down to breakfast. Want to join us?"

"Yeah," George began.

"Sure, Harry," Fred added.

"Lead the way!" they finished together.

Just as they got to the Great Hall, they heard Ron laughing at a Ravenclaw. Hermoine, Harry thought he remembered her name being. As they got closer, they realized that Ron was making fun of her for all the books she was carrying.

Harry, unable to tolerate bullying, stepped up to Ron. "Hey, Ron, stop being mean to her. Perhaps you don't realize it, because I choose to hide it, but I carry just as many books around with me. Just because you choose to play games instead of studying to gain important information doesn't mean you should make fun of others who choose to use their time profitably."

"Well said, Mr. Potter," Severus drawled, sending a glare at Ron. This was another piece that he now had to add to the puzzle that was Harry. It appeared that, instead of bullying others, he stepped in to fight off bullies. And he also apparently liked to read and study.

"You can be sure that Mum will hear about this," George declared.

"She sends the worst howlers," Fred whispered to Harry and Neville. Their eyes widened a bit at that statement.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for bullying another student and detention with me tomorrow after lunch. Perhaps that will help you to think twice before making fun of someone. And perhaps, as Mr. Potter suggested, you should study instead of playing games," Severus added in his silky voice.

Ron stomped off into the Great Hall in a bad mood, Fred, George, and Neville following behind. Harry hung back a little longer.

"Thanks, Professor, for helping out. I wasn't entirely sure we would be able to get him to leave off bullying Hermione, but hopefully after his detention with you, he will not do so again." Harry gave him a bright smile.

Severus nodded in acknowledgement of Harry's gratitude. "Enjoy your breakfast, Mr. Potter," he sneered before stalking off towards the teacher's table in the Great Hall. Harry frowned, a puzzled look on his face. This professor was a hard person to figure out, but he was determined not to give up. Hopefully Mrs. Prince would have some advice.

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A/N: Before you ask, Mrs. Prince-who is a squib-is married to Severus' squib cousin. But Severus is unaware of his squib cousin, because when his mother married a muggle, she was cut off from the family. Her siblings never knew where she'd gone to, so had never been able to find her. I'm not sure yet if Severus and his cousins will meet in this story, but anything's possible!

You know the drill, please review! They feed my muse! :D


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter, but the next one is almost done and should be up in a day or two. Hope you like it! :D

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**Chapter 2**

Two days later, a snowy white owl flew up to the window of the Gryffindor common room and tapped her beak on the window to get her wizard's attention. Harry looked up from the book he was studying as Neville and he sat on the chairs in front of the fire. He got up and opened the window for her and she flew in, landing on the back of the chair Harry had just vacated. She held out her leg for Harry to take the letter attached to it and then took off for the owlry once she was relieved of her duty. Opening the letter, Harry began to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_I am pleased to hear that things are going well for you. My family told me about the Weasleys, some time ago. They seem like a good family, although I'm disappointed to hear that Ron is more concerned with playing games than studying._

_On the other hand, I'm very proud of you for not giving into the temptation to join him. Having Neville there is helpful towards that end, I would imagine, as someone to be accountable to in that moment._

_My family tells me that the Weasley twins are good allies to have. They enjoy pranking everyone—including their friends—but they always mean well. Everyone seems to like them. Well, except for Slytherins and other such like-minded people._

_Frank Longbottom, Neville's father, and I used to be good friends before he was tortured. I remember meeting his wife, Alice. She was a sweet lady. I would imagine that their son is no less sweet than they—he was a sweet baby, at any rate. They would often visit us, whether it was for tea, for a meal, or just to talk and spend time together. His grandmother is often oblivious, but she is a good woman. The only one in that family that I would be wary of is his uncle, Algernon. Alice told me one that Algernon has a bit of a cruel streak. It sounds as if the poor lad might have had too many interactions with his uncle, but trust between you two will be built more solidly if you let him tell you about his home life on his own. Don't let on that you know even a whisper more about his home life than what he has told you._

_Regarding the teacher you said seems to not to like you—you are right not to take things at face value. Perhaps he is a private man—something caused by various possibilities—and guards his secrets closely. You may eventually break through his defenses, if you persist in your kindness towards him. And it sounds as if he needs someone to be kind to him—no matter what. I know it is only September, but you know what I always say—it is never too early to think about what to give someone for Christmas. You said he is your potions teacher? I'd start with something small, for now, like a gift certificate to a supply store, or special containers to hold potions ingredients. Take note, if you can, of things he likes, or things he might need._

_I will not pretend to understand why you feel you cannot go against everyone's expectations, but I am sure you will tell me if and when you feel that you can. Slytherin, I am sure you know, is not a bad house. There have been dark wizards that have come out of that house, including the current Dark Lord. But dark wizards have come from every house. You would have done well in any of the houses, but I am sure you know what you are doing by choosing Gryffindor._

_I am sure you already know which characteristics each house prizes, from the sorting hat's song. Choose friends from among each house and cultivate the best characteristics from each. And remember, the students may be grouped into different houses, but each student is different. Having at least one friend from each house I think will go quite a ways in unifying Hogwarts. From what I have read of the founders, that was their original intent, was for everyone to be united. The sorting into houses was just an easy way of sorting who would be staying where while they studied—it was not meant to divide them. One of my ancestors was friends with the founders and wrote about it in her journal, thinking the information might be useful one day—or at least interesting to someone, somewhere down the line._

_Ah, my dear Harry, you are a very bright and intelligent young man. Keep up the good work, remember to study and keep your grades up. Shall my husband and I come visit you sometime? He wants to talk to you about some of the extra things you were studying before you left for Hogwarts. Perhaps over the Christmas holiday? That would give you plenty of time to get settled into a routine; and would be able to take off more time from work, seeing as we get time off around then, anyway. We would let you stay with us instead of having you stay at the school over the holidays, but we think it would be safer for you to stay there. What do you think?_

_Remember that we are proud of you, Harry!_

_Love,_

_Mrs. Prince_

Harry reread the letter several times with a smile on his face. Mr. and Mrs. Prince wanted to visit him! She approved of his friends and gave him some great advice. He smirked slightly, knowing she knew him well enough to know that if she suggested thinking about what to get one person, he would start thinking about what to get others; and if she suggested getting one teacher something, he would run with the idea and work on getting something for all the teachers.

Neville broke into his thoughts with a hesitant, "Good news from home?"

Harry turned to his friend, his smile faltering a bit, unsure as to how much he should reveal. "Well…good news and advice from someone who cares," he settled on replying. Neville nodded in understanding. "She was my teacher when I first went to muggle school; she and her husband are squibs. I promise I'll tell you about them one day. Hey, I know it's early yet, but are you planning on staying here for the Christmas holiday?" he added.

Neville frowned thoughtfully. "My Gran said she wants me to spend the holidays with her, but I might be able to convince her to let me stay for at least part of the holiday. Are you?"

"Yeah," Harry responded. "My…relatives only…agreed to take me during the summer after I got my Hogwarts letter. Mrs. Prince, my teacher, and her husband had talked about me staying with them for the holidays, but they figured I'd be safer here. She asked if I'd like for them to visit me during the Christmas holidays, as I will have had time to settle into a routine by then. We'd have more time to spend together, then, too. I was thinking that if you were around during the holidays, you could meet them."

"Really?" Neville asked, sounding a bit unsure.

"Yeah," Harry said with a warm smile. "I would tell you about them now, but this is not a private enough place, and we need to finish our homework. I'll tell you some of the things she wrote, too."

Neville smiled hesitantly. "If you want to; you know I'd be happy to hear whatever it is you want to tell me. I…you're my first friend," he admitted quietly. "I mean, I always had Gran, but…" he trailed off nervously, glancing at the others in the common to make sure they hadn't heard anything.

"It's nice to have a friend your own age," Harry supplied softly.

Relief flooded Neville's face. "Yeah, it's nice to have a friend my own age."

Harry smiled and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know exactly what you mean." Lowering his voice, he told Neville quietly, "Before I went to muggle school, I had no friends."

Neville's eyes widened a bit at that information. Harry's relatives clearly didn't like him; he'd been completely alone after his parents' deaths. Neville shook his head, sad for what his friend had had to go through. _At least I've always had Gran_, he thought to himself. _Harry didn't have anyone for several years. Who knows what the Dursleys have done to him. _Harry smiled cheerfully to let Neville know that it didn't really bother him, but Neville had to wonder if he would have been able to go through what Harry probably had, on his own, and still be a great person like Harry was.

"I've still got a bit of homework and then I want to start a reply to Mrs. Prince's letter tonight," Harry added. Neville nodded, still rather lost in thought, and they both returned back to their school work.

* * *

The next morning, Neville found Harry again working on his reply to Mrs. Prince's letter in the common room. Harry looked up at Neville and smiled. "Good morning, Neville!" he greeted cheerfully.

Neville smiled in return. "Good morning, Harry," he responded. "Are you working on your reply to Mrs. Prince?"

"Yeah," Harry told him. "But," he added as he finished the thought he was writing, "the rest of it can wait until later. Let's go get some breakfast!" He placed the parchment, quill, and ink in his bag after making sure that the ink was dry on the parchment, his container of ink was capped and wouldn't get ink everywhere, and his quill was cleaned off.

As they made their way down to the Great Hall, Harry shared a few things with Neville that Mrs. Prince had told him in her letter. Neville was slightly confused by her suggestion to get Professor Snape something for Christmas. "Why would a student want to get a _professor _a present? I mean, I know you're trying to be friendly to him, but isn't that taking it a bit far?"

"Not at all," Harry replied. "It would let him know that I'm serious about being nice to him."

Neville frowned thoughtfully as he considered this. "Are you sure he won't think that you're doing it for brownie points?"

Harry shrugged. "Not really, but Mrs. Prince is a teacher, so she'd know better than I would. Of course, every teacher is different, but she at least has to have a better idea of what he might think." Neville nodded as he mulled this over. Harry hesitated, wanting to give his friend time to think about the idea, but he also wanted to tell Neville that Mrs. Prince had known Frank and Alice Longbottom. _No, it would be better to tell him when we're away from everyone else, _Harry told himself firmly.

After they entered the Great Hall, sat down, and had filled their plates, Harry broke the silence. "During our free period, could we find a secluded place to talk? I'll tell you more about the Princes."

Neville nodded. "Yeah, sure," he replied. For the rest of breakfast, they spoke about possible gifts they could give the Potions professor, and Harry mentioned the possibility of getting gifts for at least some of their other professors, as well. "Wouldn't that get expensive?" Neville asked.

"It would only be for a few others—like our Head of House, or the teachers that teach the subjects we are good at or enjoy the most, or those who seem like they need some cheering up-and it wouldn't be big things; just little things. Little things that they might appreciate, or something they might need," Harry reassured him.

Neville nodded uncertainly, then determined that he would join Harry in his quest to befriend some of the teachers in the school. There was a quote he remembered reading somewhere...had it been in a muggle book? Suddenly, he recalled what it was and muttered it to himself. "Cultivate the acquaintance of the masterminds between book covers, as well as behind desks."*

"What was that? I didn't quite catch it," Harry asked.

Taking a deep breath, Neville repeated the phrase, informing him, "It's a quote I read in a muggle book. I don't remember which book it was or who the author of the quote is, but all this talk of getting professors presents for Christmas made me think of it."

Harry smiled. "It's a nice quote; I think I'll write it down as a reminder," he said, pulling out a quill, ink, and some parchment, in order to write down the quote. After they finished their breakfast, they made their way to their first class, determined to observe the professors to see what they might be able to get them.

* * *

A/N: *A quote I read in a book several years ago. I don't know who the author is, but it popped into my head as I was writing, and I just had to include it.

I hope you like this chapter! Please let me know what you think! :D Remember, reviews feed my muse! :D


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

During their free period, Harry and Neville went for a walk outside, looking for a spot away from the other students. When they were far enough away from the others that Harry felt safe to tell him about the Princes, he began, but told him a little bit about his years in muggle school.

"So," he added after telling him about his friends and his cousin, "during lunches, I would go to visit Mrs. Prince, where we would eat lunch together. Her husband would often visit during those times, and we would talk about magic, and families, and lots of other things. They would talk to me about school and became sort-of like parents to me."

Harry took a deep breath and continued. "They would always give me advice on dealing with people and...lots of other things. So, naturally, I wrote to Mrs. Prince about Professor Snape. She wrote back, encouraging me to persevere, saying that it sounds as if he is a private man. Among other things, she also...told me that she and her husband were friends with your parents. It's one of the main reasons I asked you if you are planning on staying over the Christmas holidays."

Harry watched Neville closely as his friend paled with shock. He helped him slowly sink to the ground and watched as he put his head in his hands. Finally, Neville looked up. "You mean, they can tell me stories about Mum and Dad?"

Harry nodded, adding, "She also said that she remembers meeting you when you were a baby."

Neville blew out a breath and replied, "Merlin, Harry, that's quite a bit to take in! I...thank you for telling me."

Harry smiled gently. "No problem. I know I'd want to know if one of my friends knew someone who knew my parents and could tell me stories about them. Would you like some time alone? Perhaps you could take a walk; I know that walking often helps me sort through things."

Neville nodded numbly and rose to his feet with Harry's help. "Thanks," he said hoarsely, then added at Harry's concerned look, "I'll be fine—I promise."

Harry nodded and walked away to allow Neville time to process things on his own. When he reached the castle entrance, he turned to look back and saw Neville walking by the lake. Turning, he made his way back into the castle and decided to finish his letter to Mrs. Prince before his next class. His homework could wait for now.

* * *

_That walk seems to have done Neville quite a bit of good, _Harry thought to himself as they sat in the Potions classroom that afternoon, waiting for the bell signaling the beginning of class. Neville smiled at him reassuringly. He seemed a bit happier, perhaps at the prospect of hearing stories about his parents.

Unknown to Harry, all Neville heard from his grandmother and uncle was how much of a disappointment he was and how disappointed his parents would be if they knew the little amount of magic he had. He had heard that he had showed signs of also being under the Cruciatus curse and he wondered if it had affected his magic.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. All the students sat up straight, facing the front, as their professor strode to the front, flicked his wand, and a piece of chalk began writing notes on the board. "We will be having a lecture today," he hissed quietly. When only Harry and Neville moved to get parchment and quill with which to write notes, he snapped. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out parchment and your quills and start taking notes!"

_Why were they the only ones to pull out parchment and quills? _Severus thought to himself. He watched Harry closely throughout the class and noted he was devotedly taking notes, as well as Neville. Harry would send Severus a small smile throughout the lecture, further perplexing the professor. _What is he hoping to accomplish by smiling at me every now and then like that?_

At the end of class, Harry and Neville were still none the wiser about what to get their Potions professor for Christmas, other than something to do with potions. As they were packing up to leave, however, Harry came up with an idea, and Neville saw the excitement shining in his eyes. They left after the other students were already a good ways away from the classroom, Harry calling out, "Have a good afternoon, Professor!" before he and Neville walked out of the classroom, leaving behind a puzzled Potions Master.

Once they were far enough away from the classroom, Neville whispered to Harry, "So, what's your idea? I saw it in your eyes as we were packing up to leave."

"Well," Harry began slowly, "he obviously likes potions, yeah? And have you seen the books in his office? I glimpsed them, just behind his desk. So maybe we could get him some sort of book or something about potions?"

Neville frowned thoughtfully. "I think it would be hard to find something he doesn't already have. But, it's better than nothing, so if we don't come up with anything else, then we'll go for that, yeah." Harry grinned excitedly and his mood was infectious, causing Neville to grin, as well. They made their way to their next class, grinning widely and whispering furiously.

* * *

That evening, as they made their way to the Great Hall, they were again talking about their ideas. Neville had written to his grandmother, asking her if he could spend part of the Christmas holidays with "a friend who would be staying at Hogwarts." He knew she wouldn't want to invite anyone she hadn't personally met to their home, so he had no fear that she would tell him to invite Harry to spend the holidays with them. He really wanted to meet the Princes.

Harry was nearly bouncing with excitement as they talked, never noticing the tall, dark man they were walking towards until he ran into the man. He would've lost his balance had two pale, long-fingered hands not grabbed him to keep him from falling. Harry looked up, an apology already pouring from his mouth. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed. "I wasn't watching where I was walking..." He trailed off as he looked up and realized he had run into none other than his Potions professor.

"Indeed. That much was obvious, Mr. Potter," Severus replied coldly. _Hmmm...how can I work this so that I can try to get more pieces to the puzzle that is Harry Potter? Maybe a detention..._Harry watched as something indecipherable flashed through the professor's eyes. "Ten points from Gryffindor and detention with me, tonight after dinner, Mr. Potter. Perhaps that will teach you to pay more attention to where you are going." He turned on his heel and walked into the Great Hall, cloak billowing. _He's going to hate me, I know he is. But I have to figure him out, and he's been so well-behaved that I've had no other reason to assign him a detention. He'll probably be complaining the whole time, like the youngest Weasley brat did during his detention._

Harry stared, slack-jawed, at his professor, hardly believing that the professor had taken points _and _given him a detention, _for not paying attention to where he was going_. It seemed rather harsh. Then he recalled the odd look in his professor's eyes. Sighing, he looked at Neville a bit forlornly, before they trudged into the Great Hall together.

"Hey," Neville said, "maybe this'll give you an added opportunity to come up with more ideas on what to get him!" Harry smiled, cheered somewhat by his friend's attempt to be optimistic.

They finished their meal mostly in silence, with Harry mostly pushing his food around on his plate. His stomach was in knots, nervous as to what his professor would have him do during the detention. The Weasley twins had told them stories about the Potions Master's detentions. _But perhaps it won't be too bad. Scrubbing cauldrons, at least, would not be. I've been cleaning since I can remember. Preparing potions ingredients, though...I imagine some of it can be rather gruesome, but I suppose someone has to do it._

After dinner was over, Harry made his way down to the Potions classroom, his nerves getting worse with each step closer he took. Finally, he reached the door and knocked on it. "Enter," came the cold tone of his professor.

"Hello, Professor," Harry greeted him quietly.

Severus sneered, wondering if perhaps Harry thought to make his detention better by being polite. Then he sighed internally, reminding himself that Harry always had been unfailingly polite to him—and, as far as he had observed, to everyone else, too. Flicking his wand, he closed the door and indicated for Harry to follow him. He led the boy to the washroom, where there was a stack of about twenty medium-sized cauldrons.

"You will wash these, _without magic_. In fact, give me your wand so that I know you will not be tempted to use it." Once Harry had given his wand to Severus, his professor continued, "The sink is there and the cleaning supplies are in this cabinet," he said, pointing to the sink and the cabinet. "Do not think that these will be easy to clean, either; there is slim from some of the ingredients used that is very difficult to get off. I will be in my office. You may begin." Severus stalked out of the room in a swirl of black robes, closing the door firmly behind him. He walked away and then quietly walked back, so that Harry would be unaware of his presence, intent on catching him complaining.

Harry, meanwhile, looked for a moment at the cauldrons, then shrugged his shoulders. This wasn't too bad. He walked over to the cabinet and pulled out the supplies he would need before taking the first cauldron over to the sink. As he cleaned, he hummed a cheerful tune, as he usually did when cleaning at the Dursleys' and they were gone for the day. He was blissfully unaware of his professor just outside the door, listening to him humming, a puzzled look on his face.

_Shouldn't he be upset? _Severus thought to himself. _If he's spoiled, then he would be. _Sighing, Severus came to the only conclusion he could with such evidence. _The boy is not spoiled. Well, at least his relatives have raised him right. _Slowly, cautiously, he opened the door to observe Harry as he worked. To his surprise, Harry was already half-way through the stack and working on another cauldron.

_That's impossible, _Severus thought. _He shouldn't be able to get through them that quickly without magic. The only people that I know of who work __**that**__ quickly are..._ He shuddered and pushed aside the thought. _That's absurd. There's no way he's abused._

As Harry set aside the cauldron after washing it and went to get another, he noticed his professor watching him. "Oh, h-hello, Professor," he said nervously, then went to put the next cauldron in the sink to wash it. Severus watched him closely as he finished cleaning the rest of the cauldrons, half an hour after receiving his task. Once he was done, he quietly put away the supplies and dried each of the cauldrons, placing them in neat stacks and stunning Severus in the process. The other students usually barely got through one in a detention, let alone twenty, _in half an hour_, and then _dried_ them. Turning to his professor once he was done, he asked quietly, "Where would you like me to put these?"

Severus was jolted from his shock at Harry's actions by that question. "Just leave them there," he replied without his usual bite. _He wants to put them away...this...this...it's highly unusual. I've never had a student get through all twenty cauldrons, __**in thirty minutes**__, __**dry**__ the cauldrons, and then ask to put them away. _"Come with me." Harry nervously followed his professor, surprised when they came to a cozy-looking room. "These are my personal quarters. You are not to touch anything without my permission. Sit." Harry did as he was told, waiting for his professor to speak again. Severus studied Harry for a few moments before beginning. _His face is too thin. How is it he washed the cauldrons that quickly when he looks like he's been...no, I said before, it's impossible that he's abused. It's also impossible that he's neglected and starved._

He quickly pulled himself from his thoughts. "I will only say this once, Mr. Potter, so pay close attention." Once Harry had nodded, he continued. "You seem to enjoy potions a great deal and you do very well in class and with your essays. On Saturdays, I brew potions with Draco Malfoy and I wish to extend an invitation to you to join us."

Harry's face lit up. "Really?" he asked eagerly. "Can I bring Neville along, as well? He might wish for the extra practice."

Severus hesitated for a moment. "I suppose it would be all right for you to bring Mr. Longbottom," he finally drawled. _Maybe watching them interact will aid me in understanding Potter better._

Harry grinned before saying, "Thanks, Professor! Ummm...if that's all...?" he added hesitantly.

Severus nodded. "You may go. I'm sure you have plenty of homework to do."

"Thank you, Professor. Goodnight!" he replied before fairly bouncing out of the room.

"Goodnight, Potter," Severus whispered after Harry had already left the room. Sighing, he began to pace. _I'm even more confused than before._ The boy was smart, clearly enjoyed studying, had no confidence problems, stood up against bullies, and was not boastful. Yet he was too thin, cleaned the cauldrons extremely quickly, dried the cauldrons equally quickly, and then asked to put them away. He shook his head. _The thinness and the speed he worked are signs of abuse. But he does not lack the confidence that abused children always do. I wonder about those cauldrons..._

Hastily making his way to the washroom, he inspected each of the cauldrons and cursed. They were each spotless. This meant that Harry's relatives had taught him to clean quickly and perfectly. There were only a few ways to do that, and the most successful way was..._through fear, nine times out of ten,_ Severus thought with a sigh. _If someone outside of his family had tried to teach him to clean this quickly and perfectly, his family most likely would have undone the teaching through their influence. And undoubtedly, if they cared about him, he would have told them._

He determined he would have to watch the boy more closely. No longer was he looking only to understand Harry Potter, but now he was looking for signs of abuse.

* * *

A/N: Is this better? Did I put in enough of Sev's thought processes? Is there anything else you think should be tweaked?

* * *

And **Moi**, before I forget (again), here is my reply to your review. You make this so hard for me, you know? I always reply to reviews by PM, but you don't have an account, so I can't reply to yours by PM! Grrrr... ;)

You know, it's not too late for me to change Mr. and Mrs. Prince's relationship to Sev. I just have to figure out what would make the most sense. It _is_ an AU story, so events don't have to have happened as they did in canon, but I'm not sure exactly how to work this, now. Either way, they are not aware of Sev, and Sev is not aware of them. You've started the wheels in my head turning furiously for this story! ;)

As for Eileen, my guess is that her parents wanted to marry her off to another rich pureblood whom she didn't like. So she ran off to the muggle world and married the first man who would take her.

Thanks for the reassurance about Harry's maturity. I hope I've kept it that way. I'm really bad with figuring out how to write someone with the appropriate maturity for their age.

And, no, Mrs. Prince doesn't know about Arabella Figg. She's never gone to Privet Drive and Arabella's never been to Harry's school. When Harry ran into Mrs. Prince, he'd been...ummm...maybe returning library books for Petunia, who was busy and couldn't do it herself? I'm not sure, but wherever he ran into her, it wasn't at a place (or time) that Mrs. Figg (or the Dursleys) would have seen her.

Yeah, it really is great that Harry's had that outside influence. I always say that the story writes itself, and it's rather true. I wasn't planning on continuing to include Mrs. Prince in Harry's life—I wasn't even planning on giving her a name. But Harry forced me to and now she's stuck in the story whether she likes it or not. Given how much she likes Harry, though, I'd have to say she doesn't mind.

And thank you so much for your question about Dumbles becoming suspicious if Harry sends and receives letters by owl. Dumbles doesn't know when Harry writes and sends letters, but if Harry received one in the Great Hall, he'd certainly be suspicious. If you hadn't asked that question, it probably would have taken me a while to figure that out (like, after I'd already written out the scene of Harry receiving a letter in the Great Hall). Your question is why I wrote him receiving it in the common room.

Thanks for your review! :D


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: As per everyone's request, I have edited chapter 3 (mostly the last half, but I've tried adding tidbits here and there to the first half, as well). Severus has not yet warmed up to Harry completely, but he's still asked Harry to join him and Draco when they brew on Saturdays and has agreed (somewhat reluctantly) to allow Neville to join them. I would still recommend rereading the chapter if you have the inclination, as there's more to it than that little summary. I hope you like what I've done with it, as well as this chapter! :D

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Harry fairly skipped back to the common room and immediately looked for Neville. Spotting his friend by the fireplace, he greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, Neville!" he called out.

"Harry!" Neville cried, clearly startled. "He let you go early."

Harry was grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, he had me scrub cauldrons, but it wasn't that hard. I mean," he added more quietly, catching himself and blushing, "it wasn't that hard for me."

Neville, who had often listened closely to whatever his grandmother and uncle said in the hope of hearing something that was close to praise, had learned at a young age to read between the lines of things people said. Therefore, he understood perfectly that Harry had had to clean—a lot, and most likely not easy things—in his life. And his relatives probably gave him very little time in which to clean. He glanced around and to his relief, no one else had heard Harry's comment.

"I'm glad it wasn't hard for you." Neville hesitated a moment before adding, "Although, I'm sorry for what it represents." He looked at Harry apologetically.

Harry, however, looked stunned at just how perceptive Neville really was. "Thanks, but it's not your fault, you know." Harry then quickly changed the subject before Neville could respond. "Professor Snape has invited us to join him and Malfoy in brewing potions on Saturdays. You don't _have _to join us, of course, but I thought you might like the extra practice."

Neville let the subject of Harry's relatives drop for now, as he could see that pushing Harry to open up wouldn't accomplish anything, other than perhaps making him upset. He latched onto the new subject, instead. "With Malfoy?"

"Yeah," Harry replied. "He's really not that bad." Harry went on to explain about meeting Draco in the owlry when he had send his first letter to Mrs. Prince. "And then I met him there again today, when I took my reply to Mrs. Prince's letter. His heart isn't in his insults and meanness."

Neville thought for a moment and then nodded. "All right," he finally agreed. "I'll give them a chance."

"Great!" Harry enthused. He was beginning to see that maybe he could trust Neville with _all _of his secrets.

* * *

Harry and Neville were making their way to the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, when someone bumped into Harry, almost knocking the both of them down. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" cried out a female voice.

Harry looked to see Hermione Granger scrambling to pick up her books. He noted, out of the corner of his eye, a smirking Ronald Weasley. "Didn't your detention with Professor Snape teach you anything about bullying others?" he snapped at Ron. Ron merely scowled at him and marched off into the Great Hall as Harry and Neville helped Hermione retrieve her books. "It's not your fault," Harry told her kindly.

"Thanks," Hermione replied shyly.

Harry smiled and stuck out his hand once they'd picked up all the books. "It's not a problem. By the way, my name is Harry."

"I know. I'm Hermione." She stuck out her hand and shook Harry's. "It's nice to meet you." Harry introduced her to Neville and they also shook hands.

Harry continued to smile at her. "Do you know there's a spell to enlarge the inside of your bag, or even just a compartment if you don't want to expand the whole bag? You wouldn't have to carry them all, then, and wouldn't risk them getting scattered everywhere. I've heard you already know loads of spells, but the undetectable extension charm easily slips through. I wouldn't have known it myself had I not needed it and researched for it."

Hermione bit her lip uncertainly. Harry appeared to be wanting to help her. He had an open, guileless look on his face. His tone was friendly and not condescending at all. She'd also heard he'd been raised by muggles, so hopefully he was not attempting to mock her. Hesitantly, she nodded. "All right. I...thank you."

Harry smiled. "You're quite welcome." He placed the charm on the compartment of her bag she had indicated and then wrote down the spell for her, as well as which book to find it in. "You're welcome to study with us anytime you want to," he offered, looking at Neville for confirmation, who nodded in agreement.

"We could meet in the library to study, at least before curfew," Neville added.

Hermione nodded. "That'd be great! Do you mind if I bring Luna along with me?"

"No, not at all!" Neville assured her, then glanced nervously at Harry, not sure if he'd be okay with it.

"The more people in our study group, the better! Just don't bring your whole house; I don't think we'd fit at one table," Harry teased.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks. I'll bring just Luna, if she wants to come. The others don't seem to like me very much," she added quietly. "I don't know what it is about me; no one liked me at the muggle school I attended, either."

"We'll help you, if you'd like," Harry said with a reassuring smile. "We all have areas we can improve in, so we promise not to be cruel." Neville nodded his agreement.

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that. I'll see you later, then?" The boys nodded and waved at her as they parted ways to sit at their table.

Harry and Neville whispered furiously while they ate breakfast. They were discussing what gifts to get their teachers. The list of school staff they were getting gifts for was written on a piece of parchment, which was currently sitting in between them, as they sat side-by-side, adding ideas on another piece of parchment. They were at the very end of the table, where no other students, and most likely no staff, would dare to bother them. Especially as they were obviously working on something.

_List of Staff to Get Christmas Gifts For:_

_Professor Snape_

_Professor McGonagall_

_Professor Dumbledore_

_Professor Flitwick_

_Professor Sprout_

_Madame Pomphrey_

_Mr. Filch and Mrs. Norris_

They were still debating as to whether or not they should get anything for Professor Quirrell, as he gave them both the creeps. Harry had written to Mrs. Prince, asking her for advice. He had jokingly mentioned catnip for Professor McGonagall, which had caused Neville to laugh, but they both agreed that the stern professor would most likely not see the humor in the gift. They were still brainstorming ideas.

As they shot ideas out for the other to consider, they never noticed the dark eyes watching them closely. Severus frowned. They appeared eager and he had never known them to cause mischief, so he was not currently considering interrupting them to find out what they were doing. He continued to frown as he noticed the mail owls, suddenly realizing that he'd never noticed Harry ever receive any mail.

Watching closely, he saw an owl drop a letter at Neville's spot, but there were none for Harry. Not that he thought the boy would get mail every day, but he didn't recall seeing the boy _ever _get any mail. He watched as Neville opened the letter and said something to Harry, who high-fived Neville and looked just as eager as his friend.

They then began speaking again and writing on a piece of parchment. _I wonder what they're writing? _he thought to himself. _Longbottom would only receive a letter from his grandmother or uncle, at least according to the headmaster, so it can't be about pranks. _His curiosity getting the best of him, he decided to hide in the shadows outside the main doors of the Great Hall in the hope of overhearing something that would give him a clue.

Having already finished his breakfast, he excused himself and swept out of the Great Hall through the teacher's entrance, then made his way quickly to the main doors of the Great Hall. _And I'm just in time_, he thought to himself as he followed Harry and Neville through the hallway, still hid in the shadows.

"I could write to her and tell her what I know about each of the staff we've chosen to give gifts to. I'm sure she'd give us ideas," Harry was saying.

"Yeah, and she and her husband could bring the gifts with them when they visit," Neville agreed. He frowned thoughtfully. "But what could we get _them_ for Christmas?"

"Maybe we could find some way to get some things from Hogsmeade? I doubt we'd be able to go ourselves, but maybe...what about Fred and George? They go on Hogsmeade weekends and could get things for us," Harry replied.

Neville shook his head. "Do you really want to trust _them_ with something like this? How do you know they won't put a prank in the gifts? It would ruin the whole thing!"

"Good point. What about Percy?" Harry suggested.

"There's no harm in asking," Neville concurred.

Severus stopped and made his way to his dungeons, thinking furiously the whole way. _They're talking about getting some of the staff gifts for Christmas. Are they hoping to buy those staff members' good will?_ He did not even consider that he might be among the staff they'd be buying for. Having never thought highly of himself in the first place, now that there was really no one who truly cared about him—as he knew the headmaster certainly did not; Albus Dumbledore had made it clear in the war that he only cared about Severus as his spy, not as a person—, he never even hoped that there might be someone out there who would befriend him. However, it was one of those mentalities that he had accepted over the years and never thought about, thus he never admitted that it was a big reason for his curiosity about Harry Potter's continued kindness to him.

Sighing, he recalled that first year Gryffindors had potions that afternoon. He could observe them more in that class.

* * *

Harry and Neville entered the Potions classroom, taking the time before class began to do more observing to see if they could find anything new that might help them in deciding what to get their Potions professor. They now had a separate piece of parchment for each professor, listing ideas and things they discovered to help them come up with new ideas. The one they currently had out was, of course, for Professor Snape.

_Professor Snape_

_Things we know about him:_

_Likes books_

_Likes potions_

_Appears to be a private man_

_Is the Slytherin head of house_

_Appreciates when people study_

_Does not like bullies, know-it-alls, or prats_

_Likes coffee_

_Sort-of likes tea_

In a second column beside the first was written:

_Ideas of gifts to get him:_

_Potions book?_

_Gift certificate for Flourish and Blotts?_

_Gift certificate for a potions ingredients store?_

_Special potions vials?_

_Special ingredients vials?_

_Coffee mug, coffee maker, ground coffee beans (ask house elves if there is a particular kind he likes; or maybe a gift certificate for coffee), and/or creamer, sugar etc (watch more carefully to see what he puts in his coffee at breakfast)?_

They were really quite perplexed, because the professor seemed to not have much to express who he was. Even when he'd taken Harry into his quarters, there had not been much, from what Harry had been able to see, to express who the man was.

When the professor strode into the classroom after the bell rang to indicate the beginning of class, they quickly put away the parchment and gave their attention to their teacher. "Today you will be brewing the calming draft. Instructions are on the board. Begin."

Severus watched as the students gathered their ingredients and began preparing them for the potion. Once again, he heard Harry quietly encourage and instruct Neville as they worked side-by-side on their potions. Both potions were near perfect, thanks to Harry's seemingly natural skills in brewing and instructing. As they were leaving class for the day, Severus heard Neville ask Harry something he'd been curious about himself.

"How is it you're so good at brewing potions? And where did you learn the difference between the different ways to prepare the ingredients?" Neville inquired.

"Oh, ummm..." Harry lowered his voice so that Severus had to strain his ears to hear what Harry said. "I cook for my relatives when I'm at home."

"What?" Neville whispered in disbelief as they finished packing. "On top of the cleaning they make you do?"

"Shhh...not here," Harry whispered, then added at Neville's apologetic look, "It's all right; I don't think anyone heard, but I don't want to take that risk. But yes, on top of the cleaning they have me do. It's really not that bad. Let's find somewhere secluded to talk about this after DADA. It's our last class for the day."

Neville nodded and they made their way out of the room. Severus, who had no more classes that day, determined to follow them with a disillusionment charm and listen in on the conversation.

* * *

After DADA, Harry and Neville found an empty, unused classroom, unaware that Severus followed them in, then locked the door and put up a privacy and silencing spell.

"Now," Harry began, "you have to promise me that you won't talk to _anyone_ about what I'm going to tell you. Not even the Princes when they visit during the break, as they only know a little."

Severus was startled when he heard the name. _Mum had no living relatives when she died, that we knew of. It must be a coincidence. Wait, Potter said they're planning to visit. I will offer to stay this break, claiming that I might as well get it over and done with, so that I can meet these people._ Shaking his head, he continued to listen in. Apparently, Neville had satisfactorily given the requested promise.

"You remember what I told you about my relatives hating me, yeah? How they always called me a freak because of my magic?" Harry asked. Severus constantly filed the information away to peruse later, forcing himself not to think too much about what was being said, until the boys had finished talking and left. Hurrying back to his quarters, he realized he had time to analyze what Harry had told Neville. He took out the memory and placed it in his pensive—a gift from his mother before she'd died, placed in his vault until he had begun to spy for the headmaster—after thoroughly warding his quarters against anyone who might want to visit him at that hour. Such as the headmaster.

"_You remember what I told you about my relatives hating me, yeah? How they always called me a freak because of my magic?" Harry asked._

Severus paused the memory and thought about those two sentences. _He said his relatives always called him a freak. He must be living with Petunia and her family. She was always jealous of Lily and called both of us freaks. That manipulative old coot told me that Potter was living with relatives who cared about him! Lily would never have wanted her son to go to Petunia!_

He continued the memory after a moment, listening as Harry described his schedule at the Dursleys', leaving out the part about his uncle's "punishments." Severus became rather angry, but forced himself to continue to listen as he explained that it had been his friends and teachers at school who had taught him that his family's neglect was wrong and that he was, in fact, not a freak. Severus sighed. _Well,_ he thought. _There goes the idea that he's not abused, starved, or neglected. Maybe I can get him alone on Saturday after Draco and Neville have left. I'll have to think of how to do that, and how to get him to open up to me. It's incredible that he didn't become bitter like I did._

Stopping the memory again, he began planning ways in which to get the boy to open up to him and how to get Harry away from the Dursleys. He knew it would most likely take Harry some time to trust him with the information he would need to get Harry away from his relatives.

What Harry, Severus, and Neville didn't realize was that through their self-assigned projects, their lives were about to change in unforeseen ways, although perhaps not all at once.

* * *

A/N: So, what'd you think? Did I add enough of Sev's thought processes?


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: I apologize for the huge delay in getting this chapter up. Between writer's block, losing my inspiration for my stories, preparing to go back to school, and *grins sheepishly* reading the fanfic of my fellow writers, I've been rather busy. Oh, yeah, and the holidays! It's been hectic and once I go back to school (in a few days), I will most likely have no time for writing. It's a very intense one-year program. Sooo...I'm working on wrapping up my stories and once I'm done with school, if I have the time and inspiration, I will write sequels for my stories. How does that sound?

I also would like to thank each and every one of you for your reviews and I apologize for not having responded to them yet. Oh, someone did ask about the Princes, though, so I'll give a little clarification on them: Mrs. Prince is married to Severus'...ummm...I think uncle would work best for this story. So, she's married to Severus' uncle, who is close to Eileen's age. However, because Mr. Richard Prince is a squib, any record of him in the wizarding world has been destroyed. Mrs. Prince is also a squib and was Harry's kindergarten teacher. They've remained close over the years and she and her husband have been Harry's strength. The Princes and Severus are unaware of the others' existence or that they have any living relatives. It's caused Mr. Prince much grief, thinking that the magical and powerful Prince line has died out. But, all will be discovered in good time!

Now, without further ado, I give you chapter 5. :D

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**Chapter 5**

On Friday, Harry was again sitting in the common room. It was just after lunch and he had a free period, so he was quietly working on his homework. Neville was sitting beside him at one of the tables and every now and then they would ask the other a question to make sure they were doing things correctly. Harry was hoping that Mrs. Prince would reply to his last letter soon.

Just then, there was a tap on the window. Harry looked up and saw Hedwig and quickly jumped up to let her in. Retrieving the letter, he opened it, Neville looking on in curiosity.

_Dear Harry,_

_Your powers of perception are very well-honed. I agree with you that everything seems to point to the headmaster having some sort of plan for you. You said that Petunia still has the letter? We will ask to see it. When we visit, we will look into matters and see if we cannot figure out what is going on._

_I am glad that you are being persistent in your kindness to Professor Snape. It is only through persistence that you will be able to convince him that you are being genuine. And you never know if he has things he is trying to deal with. Kindness from someone will most likely go a long way in easing, at least some, whatever burdens he might be carrying._

_As for your ideas on what to get the teachers, perhaps...something along the lines of a notebook for Mr. Filch, to help him keep track of things he wants banned from the school, or the like? And maybe some quills and ink? You said he seems rather attached to his cat, so maybe something with a cat theme, like a cat-shaped inkwell or quill-holder? And then perhaps a toy and some catnip for Mrs. Norris?_

_For Professor McGonagall, you could perhaps get her a special book on transfiguration, a special journal, or some nice stationary. If you and Neville split the cost of the gift, it will not be so expensive to each of you individually. You are a very mischievous boy, you know that? To suggest catnip for her! I laughed for perhaps a good minute when I read that! She sounds stern enough to not find humor in such a gift._

_As for Professor Flitwick, books would definitely be the way to go. He's the head of Ravenclaw, you said, and they are known for treasuring the written word. Maybe you can try to find out some of his other interests and let me know?_

_Professor Dumbledore would be easy—just get him candy! From what you told me, he might prefer muggle candy._

_You could get Professor Sprout some tools for her plants, or perhaps some plants that she does not yet have in her greenhouses. Maybe you could find out if there are any she would like but doesn't have?_

_Perhaps you could get Madame Pomphrey a new medical bag and fill it with some medical supplies. See if you can find out if there's anything specific she needs or wants._

_Now, as for Professor Snape, have you noticed whether he likes to do research for his potions? You did mention that he is a Potions Master and most Potions Masters like to do research in order to invent new potions or improve upon old ones. Perhaps you could get him a journal of some sort, so that he can write down notes. Special vials for potions or ingredients would also be a good idea. If nothing else, you __could__ get him a gift certificate to Flourish and Blotts, but it is rather impersonal, so leave it as a last resort._

_Richard and I would be delighted to help you obtain the items you decide to get the staff members. I think it's a good idea to start out with a few and some small things, too. If the gift is __**too**__ costly, they might think you are trying to buy good grades, especially as you do not yet know them very well._

_Regarding Professor Quirrell, I think it is good that you are on alert. These headaches that you are getting in his class seem very suspicious. Do your best to act normal around him, however, and continue to observe him._

_Now, regarding what you told me about Draco Malfoy. His family is rather well-known and is very rich. Lucius and Narcissa, Draco's parents, were very involved in the war. They were on the Dark Lord's side, so yes, Draco would have grown up with "pureblood superiority" drilled into his head. Perhaps he has had someone else give him other ideas, though, and it really __**is**__ just a mask. I would not be surprised if it is._

_Please be sure to keep me updated on what you and Neville decide to get your teachers for Christmas, as well as how things are going for you in school. And please be sure to let Neville know that we would be delighted to tell him stories of his parents._

_Love,_

_Mrs. Prince_

Harry eagerly shared the letter with Neville. Pushing aside his homework, he took out the parchments on which they had written the information about each teacher, as well as ideas on what to get them, carefully adding the ideas Mrs. Prince had given them. Glancing at the time, he then began to pack up, informing Neville that they needed to get to their next class: potions.

On the way to their class, they ran into Professor Quirrell and Harry's scar started to hurt him, just like it did in their DADA class. Quickly excusing themselves, they hurried the rest of the way to their potions class, Neville throwing worried glances at Harry, trying to gauge how his friend felt.

Harry, meanwhile, was trying to figure out any possible reasons why his scar hurt him when he was around Professor Quirrell. He tried to put his mind to working on his potion, but he was too distracted for it to turn out a perfect potion.

Severus watched Harry and Neville throughout the class, wondering what had happened. Especially when Harry brought up his sample and it was not up to the boy's usual standards. When he dismissed the class, he requested for Harry and Neville to stay behind.

He flicked his wand to close the door, lock it, and put up privacy wards and a silencing charm, to ensure that no one would barge in or overhear their conversation. "Mr. Potter," he began silkily, "I noticed that your potion was not perfect. Quite below your usual standards, don't you think?"

Harry took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, sir," he apologized. "I was distracted."

"We ran into Professor Quirrell in the hallway and Harry's scar started to hurt him," Neville added helpfully, then cowered as his professor's dark gaze turned to him.

"Indeed?" Severus asked, turning back to Harry. "And is this the first time your scar has hurt you?"

"No, sir," Harry quietly admitted. "It hurts me in DADA, and during the Welcoming Feast it hurt, too, when you turned to look at me, although I don't know why."

"Thank you for telling me," Severus said, mulling over the information. _Why would his scar have started to hurt him during the Welcoming Feast...?_ Severus wondered. Thinking for a moment over what he remembered, he realized that the back of Quirrell's head would have been facing Harry and would have had nothing to block it at that moment. _Very, very odd. I must look into this more,_ he told himself. He then sent Harry and Neville on to their next class with a pass, sternly instructing them to let him know if anything else happened.

He flooed to the headmaster's office and informed him of what had happened. "I noticed that Mr. Potter seemed distracted and out of sorts and Mr. Longbottom kept looking at him worriedly. There was nothing to do but find out what was wrong—as a teacher, I could not let it pass. It turns out that his scar was hurting him." He continued to explain things to the headmaster until he reached the end of his tale.

Albus Dumbledore, meanwhile, merely twinkled at him, infuriating Severus in the process. "I'm sure there is nothing to be worried about, Severus, but I know you will keep an eye on things and will keep me informed, correct?" At Severus' nod, the headmaster twinkled some more and then added, "If that is all?"

Knowing a dismissal when he heard it, Severus stood and took his leave, flooing back to his classroom. He pondered over the possible implications—or rather, _implication,_ as he could only think of one possible explanation—as he sat behind his desk. No sooner had he sat down than he stood back up, pacing as he thought. _Quirrell went to Albania during part of his sabbatical. Albus said that the Dark Lord was most certainly not destroyed for good and suspected he had fled to another country. The Dark Mark has yet to disappear, so that suspicion is most likely correct. There were rumors amongst the Death Eaters that he'd fled to Albania. I wonder...but no, I cannot go on such little evidence. I need more._

With that, he nodded firmly to himself and strode to the door, casting several strong invisibility charms on himself, with the intention of observing Quirrell during his class. There was about half of the class time left still. Should the Dark Lord detect his presence, when he started spying again he could easily come up with an excuse.

As luck would have it, when he got to the classroom, a student was walking towards the classroom, presumably from the bathroom. He quickly squeezed himself into the room before the student had closed the door. Looking around, he soon spotted Harry and Neville and commenced observing Quirrel, Harry, and Neville. Harry, every now and then, would rub his scar or massage his temples, Neville shooting him worried looks and scribbling down notes that he no doubt would share later with Harry.

What really concerned him were the covert looks Quirrell sent Harry as he stuttered his way through the lesson. The looks were filled with a thoughtful loathing and hatred. Why they were thoughtful, he had no idea, but the loathing and hatred he had a pretty good idea about. When the class was dismissed, he followed Harry and Neville outside.

Harry sighed with relief as the pain in his scar eased. Fresh air always helped him when he had a headache and he had hoped that it would help this time around, too. "You all right there, Harry?" Neville asked.

"Much better now," Harry reassured him. "Fresh air usually helps." They walked around for a bit, discussing what they knew about Harry's headaches, unaware that they were being followed. "We should tell Professor Snape," Harry said suddenly. "Remember, he told us to let him know if it happens again." Harry bit his lip anxiously. "Do you think he'll be very upset that we didn't go to him right after DADA?"

Neville shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea, but we should go tell him now." Severus quickly made his way to the entrance of the castle and, in one of the empty side rooms off the Great Hall, he lifted the disillusionment charm and walked back to the entrance, where he was just in time to intercept Harry and Neville.

"Professor!" they both exclaimed in surprise. "We were just looking for you," Harry added.

Severus raised an eyebrow and indicated for them to follow him. They all made their way to Severus' office in silence. Once there, Severus flicked his wrist and the door closed and locked. Another flick of his wrist put up privacy wards and silencing charms. "Now, what can I do for you two?" he asked, attempting to keep any normal harshness from his voice.

"My scar was hurting me again in DADA," Harry spoke up. "We went outside because fresh air often gets rid of any headaches and I had hoped that it would help this time, which it did. That's why we are just now coming to you about this." Harry looked at his professor apologetically.

Severus inclined his head in acknowledgment. "Thank you for telling me," he replied, hesitantly adding, "I have a few suspicions as to the possible reason your scar hurts you at certain times and am researching to find out if my suspicions are true."

Harry and Neville nodded in understanding. "Is there anything we can do to help?" Harry asked.

"Just continue to keep me informed and do not speak to the headmaster about this until I tell you otherwise." Severus sighed quietly as he added, "I am sorry, Mr. Potter, that you have to deal with this; you should not have to." Getting up, he picked up a headache potion and a pain-relieving potion from one of his shelves and handed it to Harry. Indicating the pain relieving potion, he informed Harry, "Use that one when your scar hurts and you are unable to go outside to ease the pain. If the pain in your scar causes a headache, then use the headache potion. Let me know if they do not help."

Harry and Neville both nodded and then Severus dismissed them. After they were gone, he made his way to his quarters and to the library he had there.

Pulling out a book on curse scars and another on horcruxes, he began reading, nearly vomiting when he read how a horcrux was made. He had heard of them, but had not known exactly what they were or how they were made. _I wouldn't put it past the Dark Lord to make one of these. Lucius mentioned an odd diary he has that the Dark Lord entrusted to his care. I wonder if it's a horcrux._ He read on ways to destroy a horcrux. Now he just needed to confirm that was what the Dark Lord had indeed done and to find out how many he had made. Severus shuddered at the thought that he might have made more than one.

Turning away from the book on horcruxes with a last shudder, he began reading on curse scars. _Sometimes the caster's magic remains in the scar...There are a few ways to rid oneself of a curse scar..._

Beneath, it listed potions, spells, and rituals for getting rid of a curse scar, but the potions were rather intricate. Some of the potions ingredients were hard to get and were very expensive. And he was beginning to doubt that the headmaster would help him._ We'll start with the spells, then, and if those don't work, we'll move on to the potions. Now I need to find a book about possession. I wonder if there are any exorcism rituals that I could do by myself._

He looked up at the clock and realized that dinner had just ended. _I should be prepared in case the headmaster comes to see me. He may wonder why I was not there._ Flicking his wrist caused several potions journals as well a few books on possession to fly onto the table, a second flick caused them to shrink, and a third caused them to settle into a pocket he had lined with an undetectable extension charm. Picking up the notebook with his notes on horcruxes and curse scars, he settled in his living room, scribbling away after resizing a potions journal, and waited for the inevitable knock.

After skimming through various potions, he finally found one that looked helpful. _The "Soul Restoration Potion" is a good way to combat possession. Invented by a potions master in the early 1800s, it can be taken after possession to force the foreign soul out of the possessed..._

Severus quickly scribbled down the ingredients and directions, looking over it to see if there was anything out of place. Then came the knock he'd been waiting for. "Severus," Dumbledore greeted him.

"Headmaster," Severus returned tersely.

"Ah, I must have interrupted you in something. I'm so sorry, my dear boy. May I come in?" Dumbledore requested, without giving Severus any time to respond. Severus grit his teeth, but stepped back to let the headmaster pass through the door. Once the headmaster spotted the potions journal and the notebook, he added, "Researching, I see. That must be why you weren't at dinner."

Severus nodded curtly. "I'm sorry, headmaster, but I lost track of time."

"Quite all right, my dear boy; quite all right. It is certainly understandable," replied Dumbledore. "I was merely concerned that something had happened to you, as you usually have a house-elf inform me if you decide to eat dinner in your rooms."

"As you can see, I am fine. Is that all, headmaster? I would like to return to my research." Severus was scowling fiercely, as he usually did when interrupted during his research.

"I only came to check on you, my dear boy. After all, it would not do for something to happen to you. We will need you when Voldemort returns to power," Dumbledore explained cheerfully.

_That hurt,_ Severus thought. _Why did that hurt? No one's cared about me since Lily, as Mum died during my fourth year._ Clearing his thoughts, he farewelled the headmaster and returned to his research once he was alone had a boy to save from the Dark Lord's soul.

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The next morning, Severus gathered his research as he made his way to the Great Hall for breakfast. "Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom," he intoned silkily as he spotted Harry and Neville about to enter the Great Hall.

"Yes, sir?" they inquired respectfully.

"Please come to my office after breakfast," Severus requested.

Harry smiled, causing his fellow students to look at him as if he'd lost his mind. All except Neville, that is, who understood perfectly what had Harry so pleased. "Yes, sir," they replied at the same moment.

Harry and Neville then walked into the Great Hall, Severus watching them as they did. He had to fight back a smile at how enthusiastic Harry seemed at the prospect of spending the morning brewing potions with _him_, the greasy git of the dungeons. Or, his personal favorite, the greasy dungeon bat. The students never seemed all that concerned with keeping their voices down when they spoke about him outside of the dungeons.

Stalking into the Great Hall, he made his way to the staff table with his trademark scowl on his face, hoping it would deter Albus Dumbledore from attempting to converse with him. And...apparently, he was not so lucky. Grabbing his usual cup of coffee, he stirred in some creamer and a touch of sugar, hoping desperately that he could stave off his annoyance with the headmaster.

Harry and Neville were watching their Potions professor carefully as he made his coffee, then quickly scribbled notes on a piece of parchment while eating their breakfast. Once they were done, they made their way down to Severus' office, noticing that Draco was nowhere in sight. Severus entered his office shortly after Harry and Neville did, then indicated for them to follow them to his private potions lab.

Once there, he warded it and put up silencing charms. "I have asked you here early because there are some things I need to discuss with you," he began and then indicated for them to sit. A house-elf popped in with a tray of tea and Severus commenced serving them each a cup. Placing a vial within reach, he added, "This is a calming draft, just in case it is needed."

Harry's and Neville's eyes widened in understanding. This could be a very distressing talk, indeed.

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A/N: So what'd you think? I know, no interaction with Hermione and Luna yet. Speaking of which, a couple of you commented that she was actually a year behind them. I apologize, it slipped my brain! But I really want Luna in the story, so we'll just move her birthday up so that it's before the cut-off date. Not that I know when her birthday was in cannon...anyway, so she's the youngest in their year, but in their year none-the-less.

Let me know what you think of this chapter. Like I said, inspiration for my stories have fled. Gone. Completely. Have any of you seen my muse? Anyway, so if this chapter is horrible, it's because my muse has abandoned me. Maybe I neglected my muse for too long...? (Don't mind me, I'm feeling rather crazy at the moment...)

Regarding the way Harry talks...I'm horrid at writing children's dialogue, so just imagine him talking like he's supposed to at that age... *grins sheepishly* :D

Oh, and thank you so much for your patience! Now, let's see how many more chapters I can get up before I start school again! :D


	7. Important AN!

Hi, all! The school I am at will be blocking certain websites in an effort to keep the students from becoming distracted (since it's a _very_ intense program). This website will most likely be blocked. Sooo...if you would like to contact me or if you want me to email you the chapters I have for my stories, please send me a PM with your email address. I will get a notification in my inbox and will be able to send emails. They will merely be blocking potentially distracting websites (including Facebook! *sobs), but I understand and support their decision. They are attempting to help the students stay focused and I totally get that. Anyway, I know you all were expecting a chapter, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I wanted to notify you all and give you a way to contact me. I would give you all my email address, but it's a bit complicated and people have messed it up before and sent an email to the wrong address. Cheers! :D

~Christine

P.S. -Please be sure that you have sent me your email address, or I won't be able to email the chapters to you! Thanks! :D


	8. Chapter 6

A/N: Here you go! Another update! :D I made it safely to school. The first part of this story was written when I first got here, and I was really missing my sister and her family, so I apologize if it isn't up to its usual standards. I've gone through it to try and fix things, but I'm not sure I was able to.

I'm someone who likes to be around family, so for me to be somewhere where there is no family around is really hard for me—even though this is the third time I've traveled away from my family. It's harder this time, too. My sister says it's because of her kids, and although I would miss her anyway, I think she's probably right. But I'm better now, I've settled in for the most part, so hopefully all will go well with my stories from here on out!

Sorry for that depressing note. Hopefully the chapter is more cheerful! :D

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**Chapter 6**

Severus looked uncertain as he explained his discoveries to the two boys. He did not want to distress them unduly, but Harry needed to know and as Neville was clearly Harry's best friend, he would need to be aware so that he could give Harry the support that only a friend could give. "Mr. Potter, it would appear that you have some sort of connection to the Dark Lord. When...he tried to kill you and the curse rebounded, it not only defeated him (albeit temporarily), but it also left you with a curse scar. It would seem, as well, that within that curse scar is a part of his soul."

Harry and Neville looked so fearful that Severus hastened to continue. "There is a potion I have found that just might remove it. In fact, I am quite certain that it _will_ remove it. And as I am a Potions Master, I can tell from the ingredients that it does what its name indicates. I am also a trained medi-wizard so that if, Merlin forbid, something were to go wrong, I would be able to help you immediately. But it is completely improbable that anything will go wrong."

"I think I might need some calming draft," Harry whispered. Neville nodded in agreement, so Severus poured some into their tea. They each took a sip and relaxed a little.

"Now, I want you both to know that I am doing all the research I can to make sure that we can get rid of this part of the Dark Lord's soul that is in you." Severus knelt down next to Harry. "I promise you that I will do whatever I can to ensure your safety, which includes making sure you do not have someone else's soul inside of you, whether that soul is whole or partial."

Harry looked into Severus' eyes, trying to estimate his sincerity. There was such a fierce look of determination, unexpected protectiveness, and unexpected kindness that Harry's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you, sir," he whispered.

"You're welcome, Ha—Potter," he corrected himself, hoping they didn't catch his slip-up. _Where did that come from? I've never thought of him by his given name, so why did I almost just call him by it?_

Harry smiled. "It's all right, sir, if you want to call me Harry. I don't mind."

Severus scowled fiercely. "You are my student, Mr. Potter, it is highly unacceptable for me to call you by your given name."

"In private?" Harry requested to which Severus gave a firm shake of his head. Sighing, Harry asked, "When are we going to try the potion?"

"I need to gather all of the ingredients first. Some of them are hard to get and expensive, so it will take some time to get all of them. The potion takes about a week to brew. I will let you know once I have all of the ingredients."

"Oh. I...I can help pay for the ingredients, sir, since it's a potion specifically for me and...and since some of them are expensive...I...I wouldn't want you to spend your money on me," Harry offered.

"Consider it an experiment that I'm willing to pay for. Most potions masters have to pay for their own experiments," Severus intoned firmly.

Knowing from experience that once his professor used that tone, it was best to not pester him further, he backed off and instead switched the topic to what potions they'd be brewing.

"We will be brewing the Pepper-Up potion," Severus informed them and then indicated for them to follow him to his private lab in his personal quarters. Neville's eyes were wide as he saw where his Potions professor lived. "Draco will be joining us shortly, I expect that you will want to prepare yourselves for the typical persona that he presents to everyone else. And I also expect you to behave and to do your best to get along with him."

"Yes, sir," Harry and Neville responded politely. Severus then pointed them to a workbench, where there were three cauldrons set up. Severus' much larger cauldron was on the floor next to the workbench. Placing the ingredients and instructions in front of them, he showed them where he kept his ingredients and told them they could begin.

"Hey, Uncle Sev!" a voice called from the top of the stairs leading to the lab. "Sorry I'm late, I...oh. I forgot they'd be joining us this morning," Draco said as he caught sight of Harry and Neville. He slipped his normal mask in place, wary of the two Gryffindors.

"Hey, Draco...errr...Malfoy," Harry piped up, breaking the silence that had descended on the room for a few moments, "Neville and I are having a study session after lunch with Hermione and Luna in the library today. Do you want to join us?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry, attempting to detect any deceit or cunning. Finding none, he looked at Severus for guidance, who merely raised an eyebrow, indicating that it was up to his godson. "All right," Draco replied hesitantly.

"Great! Professor Snape has us working on Pepper-Up potions," Harry continued. Severus smiled a rare smile at Harry's effort to be friendly to Draco and continued on the potion he was brewing, watching the three out of the corner of his eye.

Draco went to move over to the supply closet, only to notice the ingredients were laid out for him. He sent Harry a puzzled glance, which Harry returned with a kind smile. They continued working in silence, Draco attempting to understand Harry, and once they were done, Severus checked their potions and declared them all perfect, and had them decant the potions into vials. Then Harry and Neville went to leave after cleaning everything up, but Severus called Harry back. "I need to speak with you privately, Mr. Potter," he declared, shooting Draco a pointed look. It was important that they be alone when they talked. Both Draco and Neville nodded their heads in understanding, Draco with reluctance.

Severus led Harry to his living room after Draco and Neville had left, handing him a mug of hot chocolate that had appeared on a tray when they had entered the living room. Once Harry had taken a sip, Severus began. "I want to ask you about your relatives and what your life with them is like."

Harry nearly choked on his hot chocolate. "You...you _what?_ he asked. Severus gave him a pointed look and Harry sighed. Narrowing his eyes shrewdly, he recalled his theory that his professor didn't easily trust others. He also knew his professor would not give up until Harry had told him everything. "All right. But you have to promise not to tell anyone." Once Severus had made the promise to Harry's satisfaction, he told Severus just what he'd told Neville.

"There's something you're not telling me," Severus said shrewdly.

Harry sighed. He'd hoped Severus wouldn't notice. Silently pulling up the sleeve of his shirt where "FREAK" was carved into his arm, he stuttered, "My uncle would o-often b-beat me for exist-ting. He said this was a 'going away gift.' I-If I d-did accid-dental m-magic, he would b-beat me and l-lock me in my c-cupboard for several d-days without f-food."

Severus sucked in his breath. "May I run a diagnostic charm on you? It will let me know of any past or present injuries." Harry nodded and Severus lifted his wand and cast the charm.

Ten minutes later, it still wasn't done. Severus went over to the piece of parchment that was recording the injuries and his eyes widened. It appeared that Harry's magic was what had kept him alive and had kept the broken bones from healing improperly. He would be a very powerful wizard one day. When the charm had finally finished, Severus took the piece of parchment and looked over it carefully.

"It seems your magic has kept your injuries from healing improperly," Severus informed him quietly.

Harry looked up at his professor. "Yeah," he agreed.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Severus inquired.

Harry shrugged. "I didn't want anyone to know. There were those who knew my family didn't like me, but Uncle Vernon was always careful not to hit me where my bruises would be visible. At least, during the school year. He wasn't as careful during the summer, when there was no risk of anyone finding out by accident."

As Severus read the parchment of the injuries Harry had had over the years, his heart (which most people thought didn't exist) constricted. This boy had gone through so much and yet had turned out so kind and had a great capacity to love and forgive. "Very well. I promise I will tell no one unless you should give me permission." Summoning a vial, he handed it to Harry. "You are also malnourished. This is a nutrient potion, which will help with that. You may go." Harry smiled gratefully at his professor as he left to go to lunch.

_This boy is certainly a puzzle. The headmaster will not do anything, I know he won't. He's always going on about the blood wards._ He snarled at the thought of the blood wards. _He's not even helping to keep an eye on Quirrell and he put the stone here in the first place..._ A thought suddenly struck him. _What if he placed the stone here, knowing the Dark Lord would go after it, so that he could "test" Harry and see if he's willing to do what he must to protect others. Wait, since when do I call him "Harry?"_ He cursed quietly. _It's probably because so few seem to genuinely care about him and those who are meant to protect him want to hurt him in one way or another._

_He also needs new clothes—he's the only one I know who wears his school robe on the weekends and based off of what he's said, he's probably never had new clothes._

Severus shook his head as he realized he was slowly coming to care for the boy who looked so much like James Potter, but who had the eyes of his best friend, Lily. _They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Maybe the fact that he has her eyes is an indication that his personality is more like hers._ Sighing, he made his way to lunch, where he watched Harry, fully aware that the headmaster was watching him.

Once he was done with lunch, he got up to return to his quarters, but he felt a hand on his arm. "Severus, I need to speak with you. Would you please join me in my office?" Minerva requested.

Severus nodded and followed her. "What is it you wanted to speak to me about?"he asked once they'd gotten to her office.

"I noticed you were watching Harry rather closely and ignoring Albus. What is going on?"

Severus eyed her carefully for a few moments. "Let me ask you something. If the headmaster were to do something that was wrong, would you go against him to fix the problem?"

"Of course!" Minerva exclaimed, sounding scandalized that Severus would think any differently.

"Very well. I am not at liberty to divulge the information, but I will speak with Mr. Potter to determine if he is okay with you knowing. We may need to bring Poppy in on this, as well."

"Does this have anything to do with those horrid muggles Albus left him with?"

"You knew?" Severus hissed at her.

"I told him that they were the worst sort of muggles when he placed Harry with them, but he wouldn't listen to me. Anything beyond that, I have no idea."

The look of relief on Severus' face would have been comical had Minerva not been worried about what had the normally stoic Potions professor so worked up. "Very well. Let me go see if I can find Mr. Potter." Minerva nodded to indicate she would be waiting.

Walking into the library, Severus found Harry and his group preparing to study. Draco looked rather nervous, but relaxed at the sight of Severus. "Mr. Potter, may I have a word with you?"

"Of course, Professor," Harry replied cheerfully. His time with his friends had helped take his mind off his confessing to Professor Snape of how the Dursleys treated had been confusion from Hermione when Neville had walked up with Draco, but Luna had just smiled her far-away smile in support when Neville firmly stated that Draco was to be made welcome in the group, whenever he wished to join them.

Once they were at a table a distance away, Severus had Harry sit down and then he cast a silencing charm around them and began. "I am not happy with the headmaster at present, for various reasons. One of them is how he is dealing with the situation with Professor Quirrell and another is because I know he would not do anything about the situation with the Dursleys. Professor McGonagall noticed this at lunch and asked me about it. I made sure she is not blindly loyal to the headmaster before even so much as telling her it had anything to do with you, but I also told her that I would have to ask you before telling her anything.

"She was rather upset when she thought that it might have something to do with your relatives. Apparently, she told the headmaster that it was a bad idea to place you with them, but he didn't listen. What I would like to know is, do I have your permission to tell her about the Dursleys' treatment of you? Even excluding their more...extreme 'punishments' for your existence and accidental magic, I think she would be rather irate with the headmaster. We may also need to bring the school nurse, Madame Pomphrey, in on this. I...grew up in a similar situation and she was rather upset when the headmaster didn't do anything about it. I know she would help protect you."

Harry looked thoughtful. "You don't trust people easily, do you?" Severus looked surprised, but then shook his head. "All right, since you don't easily trust others and you said you grew up in a similar situation, I trust you to tell whomever you think would be of help."

Severus looked relieved. "Thank you, Har-Mr. Potter." Harry had looked hopeful when he heard his professor's slip, but then merely nodded when Severus corrected himself. He went back to his friends as Severus made his way back to Minerva's office.

"What did he want to talk to you about?" Hermione asked.

"He just wanted to ask me something," Harry replied, shooting Neville a pointed look. He'd tell his best friend later about his discussion with their Potions professor. Neville nodded in understanding. Draco looked on, wondering what exactly he was missing. Luna had her typical, far-away look, but for a brief moment, she looked at Harry with sad, understanding eyes. It always made Harry a little afraid to think she somehow knew things that no one else did.

"Why are you always so nice and cheerful around Professor Snape? I mean, I know he's a teacher and all, but no one else is ever cheerful when talking to him," Hermione added.

"There's more to him than meets the eye. Sometimes people have to present a certain persona or facade for one reason or another, but that is not who they really are. We just have to look a little deeper and show them that we can be trusted." Harry looked at Neville pointedly, but saw Draco's eyes narrow out of the corner of his own eyes. He slid his eyes over to the blonde, who eyed him carefully. Harry smiled. He knew it would take Draco time to trust them, but he hoped the blonde was _beginning_ to trust them.

Meanwhile, Severus was informing Minerva of what Harry had told him. "That horrid, old, meddlesome goat! You're sure he won't do anything?" Severus nodded and Minerva let out an exasperated huff after he'd informed her of why he didn't think the headmaster would do anything about the Dursleys. "Then we will have to help Harry without Albus knowing. Otherwise, he may try to stop us. We will have to think of a list of people who'd be willing to take Harry on as a ward, at least temporarily...Albus will automatically think of me should he discover what we are doing...What about you, Severus? At least temporarily? Just think on it," she added quickly when she saw him about to protest.

"Fine. I'll think about it," he nearly spat.

"Good. I'll get the guardianship papers from Gringotts," Minerva declared cheerfully, causing Severus to growl. "You also need to be prepared in the event that Albus tries to use your role in the last war, as well as your infamous temper, against you. I know he had told you to take part of the prophecy to You-Know-Who, but he may try to work things to make you look bad," she added. Severus scowled, but nodded in agreement.

They went over other possible guardians—discarding each for one reason or another—and discussed ways to work around the headmaster for another hour. Severus also informed her of Harry's need for new clothes ("Those poor excuses for muggles probably gave him second-hand clothes and then told him that they were doing it out of the dubious kindness of their non-existent hearts!").

As Severus was passing the library on his way back to his rooms, Harry was coming out with his nose in a book, nearly bumping into his professor. His friends had left him browsing the shelves about a half hour ago and he had finally found the books he'd wanted to check out.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Professor!" Harry closed his book with a snap and smiled up at Severus.

Severus stared down at Harry, thinking about everything the boy was up against, and his heart again constricted. He'd already been through so much. Severus felt a strong urge to protect Harry in that moment. _I could train him. I know how the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters work. Harry will need training to survive, because prophecy or no, the Dark Lord will be after him. _"Follow me," he said quickly.

Walking into an abandoned classroom, he quickly made sure there was no one hiding there and then cast privacy wards and silencing charms. Turning to Harry, surprisingly without his mask, he began to explain. "I spoke with Professor McGonagall and she wants to remove you from your relatives' home. However, we will have to do so without the headmaster's knowledge, as he would try to put a stop to it. She would be one of the first people the headmaster would suspect and so she and I went through a list of people we could think of to possibly take over your guardianship, but the only person we could think of, apart from Professor McGonagall, whom we felt we could trust, was...well...me. At least, your head-of-house seems to think I would be a good guardian for you."

Harry eyed him somberly for a few moments. Severus was surprised to find himself nervous that Harry might reject the idea. Breaking out into a smile when he realized that Severus was truly wanting to become his guardian, Harry exclaimed, "I would like that!"

Severus released the breath he'd not realized he'd been holding and gave Harry a small smile. He was thinking quickly about whether he should tell Harry about his role in the Dark Lord going after the Potters. Harry waited patiently as he saw the thoughts passing over his soon-to-be guardian's face. He grinned as that thought crossed his mind. Seeing that Severus had come to some sort of decision, he gave his professor his full attention.

"There are...certain things the headmaster might use in an effort to gain control of you, things from my past. I am not yet ready to talk to you about them, but if the headmaster, or anyone else, should mention them, please come to me and ask me about them. If, after I have explained things to you—whether or not at the premature prompting of someone else, because I _will_ tell you, just not now—if you feel at any time, really, that you wish for a different guardian, Professor McGonagall and I will find someone else."

Harry tilted his head to one side in contemplation. "Does this mean you'll call me 'Harry' now?" Severus was floored by the question. He'd thought that Harry would reject him after knowing there were things he wasn't telling him. Harry smiled at the utter bewilderment on Severus' face and explained. "I am well aware that you tend to guard your secrets closely and that there are few, if any, that you feel comfortable telling them to."

Severus shook his head in amazement. Harry truly was special; not even Lily had shown so much insight. "Yes...Harry."

Harry's face lit up. "Can I give you a hug?" he asked.

Severus again looked startled. "I would prefer it if you didn't."

Harry's smile dimmed. _Baby steps, Harry. He just agreed to call you by your first name—don't push him to his limits,_ he told himself.

"There are some rules I would like to go over with you." Once Harry had nodded, Severus continued. "First of all, I expect you to do your best in your classes. From what I can tell, that is already the case, but I want you to be aware of my expectations. I also expect you to eat all your meals; you are malnourished and cannot afford to miss a meal. Do not go wandering about the castle after curfew, and if you ever place your life or someone else's life in danger, I will have no qualms with taking you over my knee."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied. He had paled a little at the thought of receiving a spanking, but as he had no intention of getting himself or anyone else into a life-threatening situation, he determined that he really had nothing to worry about.

"As for the other rules, should you break one of them, you will find yourself in detention with me, scrubbing cauldrons, preparing potions ingredients, or writing lines," Severus added. Harry looked relieved at having everything laid out for him.

"Yes, sir," he repeated.

"Very well. You also need new clothes, as those ridiculous muggles you have had the misfortune to live with no doubt gave you no new clothing."

Harry's eyes widened. "How...?"

Severus looked a little uncomfortable with what he knew he was about to admit. He'd never willingly spoken to anyone about it before, except for Lily. Poppy and Minerva had found out, as had the headmaster, but Poppy and Minerva had been powerless to do anything about it and the headmaster hadn't cared. "You always wear your school robes, even on the weekends. I...used to do the same thing. My father always spent money on...other things, instead of decent clothes for me. Anyway, I want to get you new clothing. Your head-of-house and I will find a way to get around the headmaster so that he cannot interfere."

"Thank you, sir, but I...I can pay for new clothes. I just didn't have the time to buy new ones when I went with Hagrid to Diagon Alley."

"Harry, I _want_ to buy you new clothes." Thinking for a moment, Severus continued. "Does your cousin ever have to pay for his own clothes?"

Harry shook his head. "He never has to pay for anything!"

"Exactly. Just as he is your aunt and uncle's responsibility and they don't make him pay for anything, so you are my responsibility and I _do not_ want you paying for anything."

Harry bit his lip contemplatively and then nodded. "All right..." he said uncertainly. "But if you change your mind—"

"Harry, I won't change my mind," Severus replied firmly. Harry nodded his head slowly. He thought about what Severus had told him regarding the man's own childhood and gave one last firm nod. "Very well. You may return to your friends, Harry."

"Thank you, Professor—for everything!" Harry gave Severus a quick hug and then ran quickly out of the room, lest he get hexed for having done so.

Severus smiled after he recovered from his shock at the hug and shook his head. He sent his patronus to Minerva—informing her of his decision—, who waited for him and they made their way to Gringotts together. By the end of the day, Severus was officially Harry's new guardian.

* * *

A/N: I know that those who are abused have a hard time admitting to how they've been treated. However, I have discovered that those who have been abused, when they have support of people they trust and care about, find it less difficult to admit to the abuse when talking about it to someone they are coming to trust a great deal.

So because Harry has the Princes and his former classmates, plus Neville, to support him, and because he is coming to trust Severus, and also knows that Severus does not trust others easily (thus Severus guards his secrets closely), it is not as hard for him to tell Severus about the Dursleys' treatment of him. Admitting to the physical abuse was still hard for him, because he had buried it deep, but he had come to trust Severus enough to tell him about it.


	9. Chapter 7

A/N: I know I said that I would finish my stories, but I will not be able to, even after I finish at my school. I feel terrible, because once I start something, I like to finish it, so leaving my stories incomplete is tearing me to pieces. I assure you that I have greatly enjoyed writing for you all and hearing your feedback, and as a writer, it's nice to have the opportunity to get feedback so quickly and to be able to go back and edit whatever I might have missed while writing.

My reasons for abandoning my stories and the world of fan fiction are a bit complicated and take a while to explain. If you would like to hear my full explanation, you are free to email me, but the short version is that there are things things that I have known and also discovered that make it impossible for me to continue. _Harry Potter_ is one of those stories that tends to draw you in, even if you don't want to be drawn in. With things in this world going the way they are, it's time for me to refocus and adjust my priorities. Fan fiction is just one of those things that will have to go. Yes, that includes _reading_ fan fiction, as much as I have enjoyed all of the delightful stories.

Anyway, if you would like my full explanation, you may email me at .de. . The "o" in "3o" is a lower-case "o," not a zero. I've had friends think it was a zero. And, of course, just delete the spaces. I would also recommend reading _The Great Controversy_, as it explains things much better than I ever could.

I should also let you know that I will eventually be deleting my account. I have posted what I have for my stories, and you are welcome to save them if you'd like, but probably in the near future, I will be deleting my account. Please do not blame this on my school, either, as their decision to block has no effect on my decision. Anyone who wishes to adopt them and continue their own version is welcome to do so. Just, please, for the sake of the readers, don't turn Dumbles into a good guy! :D

Farewell, my friends. It's been great getting to know you and getting to enjoy reading with you all and writing for you.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Time passed quickly, with Draco, Hermione, and Luna settling in to being part of Harry's small group of friends. Hermione was also learning not to be so forceful when trying to help others. Harry, Draco, and Neville still spent some time brewing potions with Severus, but Harry now spent extra time with his guardian. Severus was getting to the point where he felt he could tell Harry about his relationship with Lily and his role in bringing the prophecy to the Dark Lord. He and Minerva had brought Poppy in to their small group, who had quickly vowed to do anything to protect Harry. They also agreed to help Severus keep an eye on Quirrell.

Severus had taken Harry shopping for new clothes with Minerva's permission the day after he had spoken to Harry about becoming the boy's guardian. It had been difficult at first, and he'd had to reassure the boy at almost every store, but they'd managed to make it through.

The other students were beginning to wonder about Harry's continued cheerfulness and confidence around their Potions professor, as Severus seemed able to intimidate even the sturdiest and most confident of souls to tears and timidity. Thus, Severus instructed Harry to tone it down around him when not in private or around just his friends ("At least for now," he had added, thinking there might be a way to get out of spying on the Dark Lord when he returned. He could ill afford to be seen being kind to the boy who had defeated his "lord," lest the news be taken to former Death Eaters by their children), leading the students to conclude that the "greasy bat of the dungeons" was finally having an effect on Harry when he was no longer quite as cheerful around the professor.

Harry and Neville were also continuing to look for clues as to what they could get their professors for Christmas. They'd not brought anyone else in on their plans, wishing to do this on their own. They'd also discovered Fluffy and had mentioned the beast to Severus, who had paled at the thought of them anywhere near the Cerberus. He had then proceeded to tell them about what it was guarding and all of the wards placed before the stone, thinking that if he told them, they would be less likely to be curious about it, thus protecting them much better than telling them nothing at all, instructing them to tell the others only if they became curious.

It was now Halloween, a day that Severus usually spent alone and depressed in his rooms. However, he was required to be at the feast, just as he was every year. He, Poppy, and Minerva all noticed, however, a certain DADA professor's conspicuous absence and wondered at it. They did not have long to wonder.

The doors to the Great Hall burst open and in ran Quirrell. "Troll! In the dungeons! Thought you ought to know..." and then he promptly fainted. Or so it seemed. Poppy, Minerva, and Severus all looked at the headmaster and then exchanged a look amongst themselves. The headmaster appeared rather calm about the situation, directing the students to their common rooms. All except for the Slytherins, who were directed to the library. Madame Pince was rather put out about her library being overrun by students, but Dumbledore placated her well enough.

Severus, Minerva, and Poppy met in a side chamber. "Severus, you go check on the stone and make sure that Quirrell doesn't try to get it. Poppy will see to it that the students get to their common rooms and the library. I will track down the troll." They all nodded and agreed to send a patronus if help was needed.

Meanwhile, Harry and Neville were in the back of the group of Gryffindors, and just as they reached the top of the staircase they were on, it began to move. The other students shouted for them to jump, but the staircase moved too quickly for them. They all stood there, trying to figure out what to do, until Poppy turned the corner and saw them standing there. "Why are you all just standing there? Get on to your common room, the lot of you!"

The students pointed at Harry and Neville, all of them talking at once, trying to explain what had happened. Poppy called for Percy to explain, as she could not discern what everyone was saying. "The staircase changed on them, Madame Pomphrey," he informed her.

"Very well, I will see them to the Gryffindor common room. You all go on," she replied. The other Gryffindors continued on their way while Poppy went over to Harry and Neville. She smiled at them kindly. "Come along, we must get you two to safety."

"Thank you, Madame Pomphrey," they said, relief coloring their tones as they followed her. She took them back down the way they had come, explaining that they would have to take a longer route to the Gryffindor common room. About a third of the way there, they heard loud footsteps headed their way. "The troll," Harry whispered.

Poppy looked around for somewhere to hide, but upon finding none, she placed herself in front of the two boys and sent her patronus to Minerva and Severus. "Staircase changed on Harry and Neville. Took them the alternative route to their common room and have run into troll about a third of the way there. Please come ASAP." Poppy stood her ground firmly as they waited for the troll to appear.

Harry's and Neville's eyes widened upon sight of the great beast. It was big and ugly and...apparently rather stupid. When it spotted them, it walked over and swung its great club at them. Poppy pushed them out of the way, barely managing to get out of the way herself. It swung its club again, this time getting the medi-witch on her shoulder. Harry and Neville then threw spell after spell at it, but it seemed only to anger the troll. "Its skin is thick. Magic has a hard time penetrating," Poppy informed them as she tried to stand.

The troll swung its club again and again, eventually hitting the medi-witch in the head and knocking her out cold. "Oh, no!" Harry and Neville cried. They tried to move her out of the way while avoiding the troll's club. Just as things were beginning to get really desperate, a spell was shot towards the troll from around the corner. It effectively distracted the troll, who went to investigate. Severus battled the troll and yelled for Harry and Neville to get themselves and Poppy to safety.

Minerva, who had been in the dungeons looking for the troll, came around the corner a little out of breath, then, and managed to slide past the troll. She levitated Poppy using _Mobilicorpus_ and led Harry and Neville down the hallway as Severus lured the troll out of the castle, where he placed it in Hargrid's capable hands. Rushing back into the castle, he made his way to Minerva's office, where she had taken Harry, Neville, and Poppy. The headmaster was also there, getting a tongue-lashing from Minerva.

Upon sight of Severus, Minerva paused in her tirade and indicated to where Poppy was. Severus began working upon the medi-witch immediately, relieved to discover that she, by some great miracle, had only a minor concussion that would heal quickly. She would be fine, but she would need to rest for the remainder of the day. After informing them of this, the headmaster left and Severus looked over the two boys. After discovering they were uninjured, Minerva went to usher them into the common room, but Severus asked for some time alone with Harry.

"Of course," she replied with a smile. Harry was worried that Severus would think he had led Neville and Madame Pomphrey into danger, but Severus quickly put his fears to rest.

"I was so worried when I got Poppy's message. Are you sure you're all right?" Severus asked as he placed his hands on Harry's shoulders.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, I'm fine, Professor."

Severus held Harry out at arm's length and looked him over. "Very well, if you're sure..." Harry smiled reassuringly. "You may rejoin your friends, if you wish."

Harry was about to turn away to do just that when he caught sight of Severus' leg. "What happened to your leg?" he exclaimed in concern.

Severus sighed. "I went to check on the stone, to make sure that...whomever had let the troll in had not gotten past that beast. Well, said beast decided to attack me, but I escaped just in time. It is really not that bad..." He trailed off at the fierce look on Harry's face.

"You put yourself in danger?!"

"Harry," Severus tried to placate him. Harry looked so distressed, however, that Severus knelt down and looked Harry in the eye. "I promise you I will be more careful in the future, okay? I'll still be around to look after you."

Harry studied Severus for several moments. "You promise?"

"I promise," he assured Harry. "Oh, I almost forgot—I have almost all of the ingredients for the potion. There is just one more that I need to get."

Harry's face lit up. "So soon we'll be able to get rid of the part of Voldemort's soul that's in me!"

Severus smiled. "Yes, we will."

The next week passed by pleasantly. Poppy recovered very well, and the group around Harry—the three professors and Harry's friends—closed ranks tightly. They were determined to protect Harry, although only Neville was aware of exactly whom Harry needed protection from. The others knew about Quirrell and Voldemort, but they didn't realize he also needed to be protected from the headmaster. But they were alert, and _everyone _was suspect until proven otherwise. Even the twins had to go through rigorous testing by Harry's friends before they were allowed to be in the group of those protecting Harry.

Harry, Neville, and Severus had then informed the others about the part of Voldemort's soul that was inside Harry and the headmaster's plans, as they had proven themselves very loyal.

That Saturday, after Harry, Draco, and Neville had finished cleaning up from brewing their potions, Severus requested to speak to Harry alone. Draco and Neville nodded then left. Severus led Harry up to his living room, where he poured out some tea. He had decided that the time had come to tell Harry about his relationship with Lily and his role in taking the prophecy to the Dark Lord. Luck was on their side, it would seem, as the headmaster had yet to discover the transfer of guardianship.

"Harry," Severus began, "do you remember when I told you there were some things you needed to know, things that the headmaster might try to use to gain control of you?" Harry immediately looked alert and nodded his head. "I...believe I'm ready to tell you about those things now." Severus then explained to Harry about his relationship with Lily and his Hogwarts years, as well as the headmaster's order to take part of the prophecy to Voldemort.

Harry sat stunned as Severus waited for the rejection he was sure would come. "How _dare_ he!" Harry finally cried. "How _dare_ he use you in such a way! How _dare_ he use your weaknesses against you!" It was now Severus' turn to be stunned at Harry's defense of him. "You did your best to protect Mum, and by extension, my father and me. It was not your fault."

Severus hung his head, a few tears escaping. He hastily wiped them away as Harry continued. "I'm sorry my father was so mean to you and I'm sorry for what you went through. No one deserves to be treated like that." Harry looked at Severus so earnestly that Severus found himself believing Harry's words. "You are important and special, not because of your position as a spy, but because of who you are. You are important to me, not because you are my guardian, but because you are a great person."

"Thank you, Harry," Severus replied quietly.

The next day, Harry and his friends were in the library, when a clearly excited Severus walked up to them. They were a little worried for Severus' mental health, as he never showed his emotions outside of his rooms. "The final ingredient just came today," he informed them without preamble, not understanding for a moment why he was met with blank stares. He had the grace to look sheepishly at them once he realized what he'd said, but saw understanding dawn on Harry's face.

"So I'll be able to take the potion in about a week?" he asked excitedly as the others soon caught on.

Severus nodded as he added, "I'm making a double batch, so that we can use some on Professor Quirrell." They all grinned.

"Do you need any help?" Harry asked.

"You could help me prepare the ingredients, if you want," Severus replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"Sure," Harry agreed, always eager to spend time with his guardian. Draco also offered to help, while the others declined, choosing to study instead. The three of them walked towards Severus' personal potions lab, where Harry and Draco prepared the ingredients for Severus, while Severus again reviewed the list of ingredients and the steps.

As Harry and Draco watched Severus mix the potion together, Draco suddenly spoke quietly to Harry. "I never did thank you for inviting me to join your group, did I?"

Harry smiled. "It's one of the best decisions I've ever made, in my opinion."

Draco looked abashed at such praise. "Perhaps," he agreed reluctantly. "I'm glad you did, though."

"The others are, too, you know. Glad that you decided to join us. Luna and Hermione often comment on how brilliant you are, and Neville often comments on how truly kindhearted you are."

Draco smiled. "Just don't go telling everyone that I'm kindhearted. It would ruin my image." Harry chuckled then watched as Draco sobered. "My father would be rather upset if he were to ever hear that I'm not the cold-hearted Slytherin he thinks I am."

Harry looked at him with sad, understanding eyes, looking very much like he wanted to help Draco, but he wasn't sure where to start.

Severus cleared his throat. "Perhaps we can think about that later," he suggested, deciding to speak to Harry about what they could do for Draco. "I have mixed all of the ingredients in and now it needs to simmer for the next week. It should be done next Sunday afternoon." Harry looked so pleased that it warmed Severus' heart and he smiled.

Draco, however, looked uncertain. "You're sure it will work?"

Severus turned to study his godson and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder after a moment. "Draco, rest assured that everything will be fine. I care about Harry just as much as you do and wouldn't let him anywhere _near_ the potion if I thought it would be dangerous for him. However, if it will ease your mind, we will be using it on Quirrell first. If anything might possibly go wrong, Quirrell will feel the effects of it and Harry will not be harmed."

Taking a breath, he explained more about horcruxes. "Just as in possession, when a living being is a horcrux," here both Severus and Draco turned sad eyes to Harry, sorry that he had to deal with this, among everything else he'd been through, "the foreign soul attaches itself to its hosts' soul. The Soul Restoration potion detaches the foreign soul and forces it out of the hosts' body."

Draco nodded his head in understanding. "Thanks, Uncle Sev." He then left Harry and Severus to go find Neville.

Severus smiled and ruffled his godson's hair just before Draco left to rejoin the group in the library, then he looked at Harry in time to see the wistful look on his face. When Harry saw Severus look at him, he smiled in an attempt to hide what he was truly feeling. He indicated for Harry to come closer. Crouching down so that he was looking directly into Harry's eyes, he hesitantly pulled the boy in for a hug. Harry's arms immediately went around Severus' neck as his heart and face glowed with happiness.

"I've known Draco for many years now, Harry. He is my godson and we've always been close. I...do want you to know that I care about you a great deal. It's just...not easy for me to open up to others."

"I know," Harry replied as he buried his head in Severus' robes.

Pulling away after a few moments, Severus stood. "Come, let's have some tea. Or would you prefer hot chocolate?"

"Hot chocolate, please," Harry replied, beaming up at his guardian.

As they settled in, both on the couch, Severus began after taking a sip of his tea. "I noticed you looking at Draco with concern. While we cannot take him from his parents, we can teach him to defend himself."

Harry looked thoughtful for a few moments. "All right," he agreed.

"We could invite your other friends, as well," Severus suggested as he wondered what had gotten into him. _Offering to teach Gryffindors outside of class! What am I thinking? Well, at least two of the group are Ravenclaws, and if they are spending time with me, maybe I can get them to think less like Gryffindors and more like Slytherins._ He smirked at the fit Minerva would have if she knew what he was planning.

Harry's face lit up, and it was the only reward Severus needed. "That's a great idea!"

"Let's start by teaching you how to protect your mind." Harry nodded eagerly at his guardian's suggestion and absorbed the information like a sponge. Severus had the house-elves bring their lunches to his quarters, and after lunch, they continued. By the time Harry left to return to his dorm, Severus was quite certain that Harry would soon be a talented Occlumens. He had instructed Harry to begin teaching the others, which Harry did faithfully.

The Princes were quite proud of Harry for the progress he was making and assured him that they would be there when Harry took the potion to rid himself of the horcrux. A week passed by with great progress as Harry and his friends improved their occlumency skills. Soon it was time for the potion. A house-elf was instructed to take some and slip it into Quirrell's tea and the house-elf reported that it had been successful and that he had managed to destroy the black substance that had come out of the man.

The Princes arrived and introductions were quickly made. Severus frowned and decided to speak with them later. Harry's friends, Poppy, Minerva, the Princes, and several house-elves gathered around behind a protective ward as Severus gave Harry the potion. Harry took the vial, opened it and quickly downed it, then nearly collapsed as a black substance poured out of his scar. Severus quickly shot fiendfyre at it, which consumed it, and proceeded to run a diagnostic on Harry. "He just needs some rest," he informed the others with relief.

They made their way to Severus' quarters, where they were all given tea or hot chocolate. Severus spoke quietly to the Princes.

"I am rather curious, as my mother was a Prince before she married. Her name was Eileen. You wouldn't happen to be related to her, would you?" Severus asked them.

"It depends. I was exiled from the wizarding world when I was just a boy. My parents took me to a muggle orphanage, but I never forgot my family. Their names were Mark and Tracey Prince," Mr. Prince replied.

Severus' eyes widened. "Those were my grandparents' names! That must mean that...you're my aunt and uncle."

Mr. Prince smiled widely. "It's such a pleasure to know that I have a nephew!"

"Errr...yeah," Severus was still attempting to digest everything. "Prince Manor is rightfully yours, then. You're more than welcome to stay there."

Mrs. Prince smiled warmly. "We are already well-settled in the muggle world, but we wouldn't mind visiting."

Neville walked up and the Princes turned their attention to him. "Ah, you must be Neville Longbottom. Harry's told us so much about you. Frank and Alice would be so proud of you." Neville's eyes filled with tears at those words. The Princes drew him aside and told him stories of his parents while Severus went to quietly sit with Harry.

* * *

**(Ending scene) **

Harry bounded down towards the dungeons carrying the gift for his guardian. The Princes had agreed to wait until lunch time to visit him so that he could deliver his gifts himself (they had a few last-minute gifts to wrap, anyway). He had saved Severus' gift for last. Coming to his guardian's rooms, he knocked on the door. "Harry!" Severus greeted him. "I was wondering if I would be seeing you today. Come in."

Harry grinned at Severus as he made his way to the living room. "Of course I would come to visit you! How could you think otherwise?" Severus merely smiled. When Harry saw there was no tree in the living room, he exclaimed, "What?! No tree?! No decorations?!"

"Harry," Severus replied, "I've told you before that I'm not really fond of Christmas."

Sighing, Harry nodded. "I know." Brightening, he held out the gift he was carrying. "I wanted to give you this one myself."

"Harry! You've already given me quite a bit—and I appreciate each and every gift, and your friends' gifts, too—, you know you really didn't need to give me anything else," Severus said.

"I know, but I wanted to give you this. I...I hope you like it," he added, suddenly nervous. It had been a last-minute gift that the Princes had graciously taken him to Hogsmeade to get.

Severus opened it and gasped. It was a picture of the two of them on the couch, Harry curled up next to Severus, leaning against him, and Severus with his arm around Harry, gently carding his hand through Harry's hair, as the two of them read. It was in a beautiful green and silver frame with a lion prowling the top and bottom of the frame; Harry had instructed a house-elf to take the picture discreetly, which she had done, apparently disillusioning both herself and the camera, and making sure they did not hear the "click" as the camera took the picture. Harry's anxiety shot up at Severus' gasp and he began to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. _A shirt Severus got me_, Harry remembered. _Will he reject my gift?_ Harry was beginning to work himself into a panic, recalling what had made him choose that particular picture, and then he felt two arms come around him in a hug.

Severus had been stunned, indeed, to see the picture. What struck him so much about it was that it seemed so much like a _family_ scene. It gave him a tentative hope that Harry would like the gift he was hoping to give the boy he had come to love as his own son. Seeing that Harry was about to panic, he wrapped his arms around him and whispered, "Of all the gifts, Harry, this is the best one."

Harry relaxed and pressed his face into his guardian's robes. Severus pulled away after a few moments and nervously handed a roll of parchment to Harry. "This is what I wanted to give you for Christmas, but I thought you might want the opportunity to think about it first. Please take the time to think about it; I don't want you to make a hasty decision." He watched as Harry opened the roll of parchment, waiting for the rejection he was certain would come.

The moment Harry saw that the parchment was an application for a blood adoption, he launched himself at a surprised Severus. "I don't need any time to think about it! My answer is yes!" Pulling away a little, he added, "Does this mean I can call you 'Dad'?"

Severus had a hard time speaking around the lump in his throat, so he merely pulled Harry towards him for another hug. Finally, the lump disappeared and he was able to answer. "You don't have to, but you may if you'd like."

Harry beamed and replied, "Thanks, Dad! This is the best gift I've ever received!"

Severus' heart swelled with joy. His son, his godson, his son's friends, Minerva, and Poppy all truly cared about him, and he truly cared about each of them in return. "Now, son, how about we get these papers signed and sent off to Gringotts. In fact, I don't really trust that they won't be intercepted, so I'll take them there myself."

Harry's heart warmed when Severus called him "son," then he thought of something. "The headmaster really won't be able to interfere?" he inquired.

"He really won't be able to interfere. You'll be able to live with me and we'll stay at Prince Manor. No one but the goblins, and the Princes, know that it even exists, let alone the location of it. We'll stay there. It is protected with wards stronger than the blood wards," Severus reassured him.

"Great! When will we be able to do the blood adoption, Dad?" Harry spoke so eagerly that Severus chuckled.

"And to think I was worried that you would reject the idea!" Severus exclaimed in amusement. "If we hurry and sign the papers, I can take them to Gringotts and a goblin will most likely return with me to do the blood adoption."

Harry's face lit up. "Then let's get to it! Can I ask the Princes to be here for it? They agreed to wait until lunchtime to come visit me so that I could deliver all of my gifts, so depending on the time, I would have to write them a letter."

"Of course," Severus agreed. "They've been a big part of your life. Just be sure not to write anything about it in the letter; only ask them to come. We don't want anyone else finding out about it prematurely if the letter is intercepted. Write to your friends, too, and see if they can come." Once Harry agreed, they signed the papers, which Severus had already filled out, except for Harry's new name. Harry decided to go with adding "Snape" after "Potter," meaning that his new last name was now "Snape." It warmed Severus' heart. After they finished with the papers, Severus left for Gringotts.

Harry wrote out his letter to the Princes while he waited for Severus to return.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Prince,_

_I have finished delivering all my gifts. Please come as soon as you are able. I will meet you by the Great Hall._

_Love,_

_Harry_

To each of his friends, he wrote:

_Dear Neville/Draco/Hermione/Luna,_

_If you are able to, please come to the castle as soon as you can. There is something I need to tell you, but cannot do so in a letter, in case it should get intercepted. I will meet you by the Great Hall._

_Harry_

Writing a note and then charming it so that only Severus could read it, he made his way up to the owlry, hoping the Princes and his friends would come soon.

While Harry sent off the letter and waited by the Great Hall for the Princes and his friends, Severus was making his way towards Gringotts. He requested to see the goblin he'd gotten the papers from, Nanenok, who looked them over and then pulled the pertinent potion from his desk. They then made their way back to Severus' quarters through the floo at the same moment that Harry, the Princes, and Harry's friends entered the living room.

"Good, we're all here, then," Nanenok began. "Mr. Potter, Mr. Snape, if you would." Nanenok poured the potion into two goblets and instructed Severus and Harry to placed their drops of blood into them. It was a goblin-invented potion for wizards that would read the intentions of each and would cause their magic and their blood to intermix, so that Harry's magic and blood would recognize Severus as his father and Severus' blood and magic would recognize Harry as his son (enabling him to protect Harry better). It also automatically created a document in the Ministry indicating that Harry had been adopted by Severus, and changed all documents in the school, and any other places that had documents with his name on it, so that his name read "Harry James Potter Snape," the name Harry had chosen to go with.

"Ready?" Nanenok asked them once they'd added their blood and Severus had healed their cuts. They nodded and picked up the goblets, drinking them down once Nanenok told them to. At first, there was no difference and then they both felt a tingle. Harry changed to look a bit more like Severus, the most noticeable difference being that his hair lengthened and straightened so that it lay flat. Severus' features did not change any, but his magic reached out and held Harry in a protective cocoon, just as Severus himself often wished to do. It placed wards around him so that anyone wishing him harm would face dire consequences and so that if Harry was ever in any danger, Severus would be alerted and would be able to apparate directly to his side.

Nanenok smiled (and it made Severus, Harry, Harry's friends, and the Princes feel as if they were on the menu). "Congratulations! You are now father and son. I will take these papers back to Gringotts and will file them. I will also transfer your account to my care and will charge Albus Dumbledore with illegally withdrawing funds, even if they _were_ being sent to your relatives. The funds were obviously not being used as they should have been and will be replaced with funds from the Dumbledore vaults."

After Nanenok left, Harry, Severus, Neville, Luna, Hermione, Draco, and the Princes left for Prince Manor, where the house-elves had prepared a feast in celebration of the adoption. The world was, for the moment, at peace, as they had uncovered and destroyed all of the horcruxes. The snake had been the hardest one, but they'd managed. Now they just had to keep the headmaster in check, to be sure that he stayed in line. Harry sighed. His life would probably never be simple, but at least he had the support of his friends, Poppy, Professor McGonagall, and his dad. He smiled and turned to see his dad extend an arm out in invitation. Harry happily skipped over and gave Severus a big hug as the others congratulated them again.


	10. Another AN :D

Just another A/N to let everyone know that Cosmyk Angel has graciously offered to adopt my stories. Sorry for taking so long to get this update up! :D I have also decided, for the time being, not to delete my account. Should I decide to delete it, I will let you know for certain at least two weeks before I do so.


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